"The Pear-fect Pair" - A Still Life Painting of Pears

"The Pear-fect Pair"     4" x 5"     Acrylic on Canvas with Paint Wrapped Edges

 $50 - Email Me To Purchase This "Pear-fect" Painting! =0)

I'm sooo energized this week by the upcoming show on Saturday!!! I wish I had been feeling better for weeks beforehand - oh how I could have had an awesome amount of stock to sell! But it is what it is and I'm trying to do the best I can with what I got - and so here is one more painting that I did just this week in hopes of selling it at the show. =0) I hope you like it - I'm really diggin' painting pears - they're quite a fun subject to paint! I hope you're having a great day and if you end up wanting to buy this pretty little painting today and snatching it up before the show, that's fine by me - just email me and let me know! =D Have a great day my friends and God bless!

"Calla Lily" - A Floral Painting of a Calla Lily

"Calla Lily"     4" x 5"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Board

I realized the other day that I never did repost this painting after fixing my signature so that it wasn't so glaringly obvious. Here's how it looked before:

Big improvement, right?! I can thank my Ty for that - he's always so honest and straightforward about my work, and I love him for it, even if it hurts at times. But he was totally right on this one, the signature was too bold and took away from the overall look of the painting by creating a fight over the spotlight. The Lily won in the end, and I think you'll agree it looks a ton better for it. And I think I'm getting better with my editing too - the top one is a more real to life version of the painting than the first one, so I'm happy as a clam over here! =D

"The Oddball" - A Still Life and Some Exciting News on the Business Front

"The Oddball"     8" x 10"     Acrylic on Gessobord

Soooo, I am just dying to finally tell you the good news! I am being mentored by an absolutely amazing artist, one who is very well known (famous if you ask me!) and has been such an inspiration to me that she's literally changed my life already though she doesn't even know it! Her name is Suzanne Berry, and if by chance you don't follow up on the "who's who" of daily painting, she is one of the best, and is by far one of my absolute favorites! And you know what else? She actually not only agreed to mentor me but she also agreed to join with me and some absolutely mind-blowing  artists to form a little close-knit peer mentoring and painting group. I honestly am still in shock that they all said yes. I mean seriously - how on earth is little ole me in a group with none other than Suzanne Berry, Crystal Cook, Kyra Wilson, and Alisa Steady!!! Seriously?! Pinch me because I swear I must be dreaming! I mean have you seen their work - oh my goodness, they are honestly some of my favorite painters of all time - no joke! If you haven't seen their beautifully crafted works, so rich in content, detail, talent and beauty that you can't help but stay for more, then go ahead and take a little moment to check them out. I'm not kidding - you'll be happy you did! If they're up to it I'd eventually love to interview each and every one of them and feature them on my blog, but until then, why don't you grab a warm and comforting tea or coffee (or considering the blistering 3 digit heat we've had around here perhaps it'd be better to grab a cool, refreshing lemonade!) and you can just follow the links above to their own blogs to check them out. They are masters of their craft and I am so honored that they would join along with me - more honored than words can express!

So it all came about one day when after years, and yes, literally YEARS of faithfully following Suzanne's blog, waiting for each new post like a little school girl would wait for a new Justin Bieber tweet, that I decided to make one fateful step which would change my life forever. I commented on her blog. Ha, yup, that was it. Just a simple comment is all it took, but for some reason she actually emailed me back. Perhaps this happens more often than I thought or perhaps she writes everyone back who comments on her work, but for me, to see an email from a woman who I look up to like this, well, suffice it to say I was stunned. Overjoyed and simply stunned! I called my husband immediately to tell him the news, and as soon as I finished ranting excitedly to him I phoned my mother to tell her as well. It was just wonderful beyond words. From that email we began speaking back and forth and one day after this had gone on for a time I plucked up the courage and asked her something I still can't believe came out of my mouth:  Will you mentor me?

Wow. Like I said, I'm still in shock that she said yes! It's like something out of a fairytale for me. She is an overwhelmingly talented woman, and her art is so masterly crafted that at times I have a hard time telling what's a painting and what's a photograph. And the ones that are more painterly and expressive are so beautiful that they warm your heart when you see them. She's just such a fantastic painter, and I am so truly honored to have her as my art mentor. I don't know, haven't you ever had something that was just beyond belief for you? A role model that you've held in such high esteem that if you were to meet them in person you would totally go all gaga for them and just sit there all star-struck, not able to speak a single word? Well that's how I feel about her. Honestly, that's how I feel about all of the amazing women I am privileged to work alongside with right now and to become deeper friends with as well. It's just such a blessing for me to be a part of this! And you know, it all started with a simple comment on a blog for me. The group was Leslie Saeta's idea, though in all honesty I really had wanted to form something like this anyways, but her marketing challenge really gave me the kick in the bootie I needed. I didn't end up doing all of the challenges for that month, but I did what I could and so far it's been far beyond incredible. =)

The painting above was my response to me and Suzanne's first project together, where we each painted from one of her original photographs. To see her own amazingly gorgeous response, click here. I really loved being able to work on the same project together this last month, and I'm looking forward to doing it more and more! I just feel so incredibly blessed to be working alongside her in this capacity right now. If you are an aspiring artist, honestly, I would urge you to following your own dreams, no matter how grande. Do you have a mentor artist? An artist who can help guide you in your own journey, who's art is the type of art you dream of creating some day? If not, I would encourage you to ask someone to mentor you - granted you might need to have some type of relationship formed with them before you just go and ask a stranger to spend a good deal of time mentoring you.

In my own experience with mentoring relationships, it seems that the mentor learns just as much as the person they are mentoring does, if not more. A relationship like this is never one sided, and you need to understand the implications of this before you even pursue something like it in the first place. That said, these are the types of relationships that change your life and last a lifetime. There is just something so incredibly special about it - I fact, I honestly believe it's how God intended things to be. I mean, for generations beyond number, most businesses and craftsmen learned through apprenticeships. A young hopeful student would find someone who excelled in their craft, ask to learn from them and work for them, and then spend hours working together in a close-knit relationship where their work was critiqued and challenged vivaciously. And so far, at least in my own opinion, it's been so wonderfully customizable for Suzanne and me, which is especially useful considering what we are both going through at the moment, and this has helped keep us from feeling overwhelmed by it all. So yeah, if you don't have someone, perhaps today is the day you start searching and praying for someone who could come alongside you and either learn from you or teach you. You never know what could happen if you only just ask!

Good luck with this and I hope you are having a fantastic day! Oh, and don't forget:  For this month's contest, all you have to do is to comment on any of my posts for this month to be entered to win your choice of any available painting I create this month. Well then, happy commenting and God bless! =)

Announcing The Contest for May 2013 : My Funnest Contest Yet!!!

So I'm doing Leslie Saeta's "30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days" and one of the things she wanted us to do was to post a link to one of our favorite available paintings. I immediately knew which one to choose - "Montana Sunset." This is one of my favorites of all time, and it's only $90 with a double matted frame. It's quite exquisite as a whole, and since it's an original work of art, it's truly a fantastic deal. So if you are interested in purchasing this one of a kind work of art, follow the link below. Trust me, you won't regret it!

"Montana Sunset"     5" x 7"     Acrylic on Museum Quality Claybord

Here is another one of my favorite smaller works. It's an ACEO called "Mint, Anyone?" Oh how I loved painting the packaging - trying to capture the glint and the glimmer of the wrapper as it shone in the light. Such a delightful experience. If you're interested in purchasing this original piece for only $25, you can follow the link below as well. It's sweet and delicate, and sure to charm your guests. =)

"Mint, Anyone?"     2.5" x 3.5"    Acrylic on Canvas Paper (ACEO)

Yesterday's challenge was to add 20 people to your mailing list. Haha, ummm... hmmm... I don't HAVE a mailing list. "So," I thought to myself, "perhaps I should start there..." =P   Considering the fact that it's already a new month again, that means we're due for another contest right about now. I'm pretty sure you can see where I going with this. Well, here goes nothing...


INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CONTEST FOR MAY 2013

I'm not gonna lie. I don't like signing up for mailing lists. In fact, I rather hate it. Most of them are super annoying and hound my email with something nearly EVERY DAY of the week, which makes me feel like half my time is taken up deleting email's that I neither want nor need. I don't want that - it drives me nuts. Who want's that!?! HOWEVER, I do like keeping in touch with people, and I like places that send out only the good stuff - great coupons, great ideas, great incentives and fun news - and that don't send it out too often. You know, like telling me about fun events they have planned or explaining how certain things went, or warning me of amazing deals so I don't miss out. I like that. I like that when I sign up for something, and I like that as a rule for myself.

So that's how I'm gonna do this. No worries - I'm not going to hound anyone. I don't have the time to - remember? I have two boys. TWO. BOYS!!! Two boys who are 3 and 1. Both in diapers. Both very social and energetic and fun and cuddly and needy. And even though they both walk, one of them still likes to be carried ALL THE TIME! Cough, cough.... Owen... Yeah, I'm a busy girl. And I know you are busy too. Plus, when you throw in all that I still have to deal with because of my fibro, such as weekly appointments, exhaustion and ridiculous amounts of pain and forgetfullness, well, frankly I don't have much time to waste. I can promise you that! =)

I will only be sending out updates every couple months, and at the very most, monthly, though it will be a while before I do them monthly, if I ever do. I imagine some months will be busier and easier to fill up than others. BUT no matter what, I will make them worth your while. They will be fun, and interesting and sometimes there will be AMAZING deals in them that only people who sign up for them will be eligible for. I hope to include things like blasts from the past - looking back at my older works of art, interviews, poems, photos, and upcoming events, as well as news about my business, upcoming workshops, classes and more. These newsletters will go out via email, though I will occasionally want to send out an actual physical mailer every once in a while with either a coupon, a flier, a business card or even a postcard that you can put up on display. And to top it off, every once and a while I will pick someone from my contact list to send a gift to in the mail, as a way of expressing my gratitude for following my are. But I sure won't be filling up your mailboxes with a ton of wasted paper or wasted time, so don't worry about that! I know how busy everyone is these days, and I don't want to waste your time any more than I want to waste mine.

So if you are interested in hearing fun and exciting updates on the weird and creative life of Melissa Adams, then join along with me and show your support: EMAIL ME HERE or send me a PRIVATE MESSAGE ON FACEBOOK HERE, my friends! What I would love at the very least is for you to include a link to your email address so I can put it down in my contact log, which will grant you two tickets towards winning this months prize. And like I said before, if you're interested in occasionally receiving additional coupons or even possibly a free, unexpected gift through the mail, not to mention frameable postcards of my work, then you can include your mailing address as well, which will buy you two extra tickets as well. Any other forms of communication would be great, like your blogs and phone number, personal FACEBOOK page or fanpage, even letting me know whether you are an artist or not, and if so, what you do - well,  each one of these will earn you one more chance to win! HOWEVER, in order for you to earn any points you have to send me your email, and in order for you to win more than 2 points, you have to include BOTH your email and your mailing address, as those are the two most important means (and perhaps the only means) of communication I will use. PLUS... If you publicly follow my blog (whether you've been doing it all along or just signed up today by filling out the form when you click the term "Join this Site" on the righthand sidebar of this page), and if you've "Liked" my Facebook Fan Page (again, no matter when you do or have), then you will earn 2 more points for each one. So the more contact info you give, the more ticket's you'll earn towards winning a prize!

I would love to see and hear more about your life as well, so including your own blogs, Facebook pages, and more will be icing on the cake. With so many chances. I hope all my friends will do this with me so I can keep in better touch with you and can let you in to see a little more about what's going on in my life and my career, and the places I hope to go with it. And don't forget, you CAN win more than once! So go ahead, what are you waiting for? Sign up to get great deals, fun news and a deeper look into what's going on over here in a more comprehensive and exciting way than ever before! This is going to be GREAT!!!  =D

"Ahhhh, wait a second..." you may be asking. "We've only talked about what we have to do and what we can expect from you in regards to your newsletters and mailers. What about the contest? What do we GET if we win this month's contest?"  Hmmm.... Well, I think this time I'll make it a little more interesting. With all these points to earn, why not have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner? And to mix it up a bit more, I'm going to let the winners choose their gift from the options. There are two categories:  "1st Place Options," and "2nd and 3rd Place Options." As the winners, you will have the wonderful opportunity to be able to choose whichever prize you wish from your category. It's YOU who gets the choice. This is going to be a VERY Fun Contest!!! =)

If you win FIRST place, YOU may choose ANY single ONE of these "1st Place Options:"

1. Any available original painting that is 5" x 7" or smaller, unframed
2. A print of any of my original paintings or fine art photographs, in any of these sizes: 5" x 7",  8" x 10" or 11" x 14", unframed
3. A miniature painting, 2" x 2", complete with easel. You may choose from any of these subjects: natural landscape (no buildings), animal (fictional or not, as long as it's not copyrighted), abstract or still life. All the details, including color choices and lighting, will be up to you as well.
4.  An ACEO complete with frame card and frame. You may choose from any of these subjects: natural landscape (no buildings), animal (fictional or not, as long as it's not copyrighted), abstract or still life. All the details, including color choices and lighting, will be up to you as well. 
5. Two sets of 5 notecards, with the phrase (ie. Thank you!, I Miss You, In Deepest Sympathy, On Your Birthday..., Happy Birthday!) on the front as well as any image of my paintings (you can pick two different images or keep them all the same) chosen by you. The insides are blank.
6. A calendar for either 2013 or 2014 with all of your favorite paintings in it.
7. A mug with your favorite painting printed upon it. 
8. A hand painted round ornament with an optional phrase written upon it and either a natural landscape (no buildings) or an animal (fictional or not, as long as it's not copyrighted) for the subject. The ornament itself will be plastic, so that if you have pets or little ones, you won't have to worry about it breaking, though if you really prefer glass I can see what I can do. =)

If you've won 2nd or 3rd place, you may choose any ONE of these "2nd and 3rd Place Options:"

1. A 5" x 7" print of any of my original paintings or fine art photographs, unframed.
2. Two notecards with any of the phrases above of any one or two paintings. The insides are blank
3. An ACEO with frame card, unframed. You may choose from any of these subjects: natural landscape (no buildings), animal, abstract or still life. All the details, including color choices and lighting, will be up to you as well. 

So good luck my friends! I hope to hear from you soon! =D

"Cream or Sugar?" - A Still Life from the Paint and Draw Together Challenge for April 2013

"Cream or Sugar?"     8" x 10"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Board

Here's my first finished painting for the site called "Paint And Draw Together" where artists of all degrees of talent get together and paint, giving each other critiques on their work and ideas for improvement. The theory of the site is that by gathering up like-minded souls one can enrich their own lives as well as others through helpful criticism and compliments for a job well done. Up til now, I've been afraid to play my hand at this, worried about what others would say about my work and also worried that it would be a waste of time, as I have tried so hard to work only from my own photographs and my own references. But the truth is, the greatest artists we have ever seen applied themselves to learning from the masters before them. So I want to be timid no more. I don't want to bite into that lie that it would be a waste of my time to spend some careful hours recreating others' photos or paintings, because the honest truth of it is, so long as I'm painting, any and all practice is a step in the right direction, and I have so, so much to learn!

This month's challenge particularly stood out to me, for I have never deemed myself very good at still life's nor at dramatic lighting, and this held both. So I dove in and am thrilled with the results. Tyler was so sweet too - while I was painting, he stood back and exclaimed, "Wow, Missy. I didn't realize you could paint like that!" That's just about the best compliment a girl could ever get from her man! I was brimming from ear to ear, and I still am at the thought of those sweet words. =)   So my hope for the future is this:  to take this world by storm, that some day, people would know my name and my art and that it would bring warmth into their homes! And so until then, I shall practice, practice, practice until I am blue in the face, with paint smudges of course! =D

Work In Progress - Paint and Draw Together's "Coffee Time"

Work in Progress:  "Coffee Time"

This painting is nowhere near finished, but I just wanted to post my progress anyways. It's based off of a photograph by Lela Stankovic, who host's an amazing site for aspiring artists called "Paint and Draw Together." On the site you get together with other artists and all create off of the same photograph and then critique each other's work with positive feedback and ideas for areas of growth. I have been following this site for a long time and always secretly dying to join along, but I never quite got up the courage to do so, and at the time I so rarely found time to paint that I didn't want to spend my precious minutes on copying someone else's photos. But now as I'm finding more and more time to paint, I finally feel motivated enough to give this a shot, and I especially loved this months picture as it has such dramatic lighting and looks like it's a classical baroque piece. It's stunning. I hope in the end I give her photo some justice, and am already having a blast working on it.

"Study of a Pinecone" - A Nature and Still Life Painting

"Study of a Pinecone"     5" x 7"     Acrylic and Canvas Panel

I believe it was about 3 and a half years ago since I found one of my personally favorite and most influential artists and bloggers, Suzanne Berry. Her blogging style and art have made a huge impact on my own art and focus, as well as how I view the art world, and I've just really enjoyed reading about her life over the last few years. I loved that her blog wasn't' just this list of paintings she's done, but it was a sneak peak into her life as an artist, how she works in her studio and the joys and hardships she's gone through over the years - both artistically and personally. It's a great read with beautiful paintings  - what more could you want?!   =)

So her friend, Diana Moses Botkin actually came up with a monthly challenge between her and a select group of friends (oh how I wish I could be a part of that group!!!) that challenge each other with a new idea each month (they get to each pick on rotation - so cool!) that they only have a short time to create. Some of the challenges are ridiculously hard based on the amount of skills and creativity required to complete them in the time allotted, and some are quite a bit easier, but the challenge for January of 2011 was perfect for me. All you had to do was paint anything starting with the letters "pi," and so I decided to do it on my own with them just for the fun of it (Well... Really, I just all on my own after they posted what their challenge for that month had been. Lol!).

Sharman Owings came up with the idea, and to see all the actual posts from the Moses Botkin Challenge for that month on Suzanne's blog go ahead and click here. It was a simple challenge in one way, but in another it was hard narrowing down what to do. Either way, it was extremely fun considering all the possibilities you could come up with, and how varied the results would be when all was said and done.

So what'd I pick? Well, if you haven't figured it out quite yet my "pi" word was pinecones. I picked pinecones, because for one, they're scattered all over my home as decorations (especially now that both Levi and Owen see them as toys, and have been since they first saw them, which makes them even more scattered) and secondly, I just plain like pinecones  - they remind me of the forest and mountains, and the beauty of the wilderness. So I decided to try a quick, painterly sketch and gave myself the added quest of having to complete it in no more than 30 minutes, from start to finish, including getting your paints out and everything. It was crazy! That's one sure-fire way to make sure that every stroke matters!

I had a blast with that challenge and love seeing what they come up with each month. Maybe someday if I get the courage up I can even ask them if I can join their group, but until then I'll continue painting from the sidelines and just admiring all that they do. =)

"Mint, Anyone?" - A Still Life Painting of a Peppermint Candy (ACEO)

"Mint, Anyone?"     2.5" x 3.5"     Acrylic on Bristol Board

I'm not really sure why after Christmas has come and gone I'm suddenly in the mood to do all these Christmas-y related paintings, but for some reason I am and this is what came of it tonight. I suppose it doesn't really have to be holiday related, but it is part of my leftover Ginger-bread house stash, so for me it is... =)

This one's a little late - it was the one I was supposed to post yesterday for the challenge but never got around to so I'm posting it retrospectively so it matches up with the days of the challenge as they appear on Leslie's blog. I've realized with how many doctors appointments I have each day perhaps a goal of 365 paintings a year is a bit too ambitious, but I am still going to aim super high, so I've finally decided that my official goal for number of paintings in a year for 2013 is going to be 300, which is such an exciting and yet daunting number! Even if I don't quite make it, it at least gives me some lee-way so I can take a few days off for vacations or sick days or "I'm just feeling so stinkin' horrible from my fibro" days, so that I'm not feeling so behind all the time. I never really got ahead like Leslie suggested except for during the first week, so I am looking forward to being able to be all caught up and to try to get an extra painting in over the weekend so that if I have a rough day I can take the day off and just relax. It's a great goal, but we'll see what happens! Lol!

Oh man, I should go, but before I do I just wanted to add one more little tidbit - I've been wanting to try to paint candy wrapped in plastic for some time now. It's always seemed absolutely impossible to me, and I know I have many more attempts at this before I come up with something I really like, but I really learned a ton about coloring and highlights while doing this. It probably looks easier to do than it really is when you look at all those phenomenal artists who have mastered this technique, but oh man, don't let them fool you. Boy is it ever difficult! This is not the last time you will be seeing a little sweet delicacy wrapped in cellophane or whatever it is candy is wrapped in, and I am hoping that in the next year or two I will really improve in this area. So many goals to reach, so little time! Have a great night, y'all!

"Calla Lily" - A Still Life Nature Painting

I stumbled upon an old photograph of a Calla Lily I took way back when and just had to paint it today. At first I thought it was an Iris, and then half-way through the painting I realized what a nerd I was and that it was indeed a Lily instead. Wow, I guess I really don't have a green thumb after all (as if anyone was questioning that, seeing as how the only plants I can keep alive for any amount of time are Cacti and Orchids).

I'm not normally one to get all into painting floral compositions, though I love looking at other people's work on the subject, but for some reason I was drawn back to this subject already during this "30 in 30" challenge, which I found a bit odd. Perhaps it will just be a passing phase, or perhaps it will lead to more, only time will really tell... =)

"Calla Lily"     4" x 5"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Panel

"Strictly Ornamental" - A Still Life of Christmas Ornaments

One of my goals for this year in my daily painting challenge is to learn and master as many textures as I am capable of, or at least get as close as I can to mastering them. Eventually, I would like to learn to paint glass, lace, silk, cotton, beads, water, droplets, and metal, among so many other things! The possibilities are seemingly endless, but here's one I've yet to do that I tried tonight - Christmas Ornament glass. It's so reflective not only because of the fact that it's glass, but also because of it's spherical shape. I know it probably seems a little late to be doing Christmas-y themed paintings, but these balls were still out so I decided, "what the hey, why not?" And so this is my very first attempt at painting colored glass ornaments, and I must admit, it is FAR harder than I thought it was going to be! I had to work in many layers, allowing the paint time to dry in between, and for some reason I never really quite achieved the color of red I was hoping for. That is definitely something I will have to figure out some other day, because that was quite frustrating. It's never fun to admit one's shortcomings, or come to realize what they are, and apparently I am not quite as good at achieving the exact colors I am striving for yet. But you know what? With practice, I know I'll be getting much better at this, and now that I know it's an issue, I can try to focus on it in my paintings even more from here on out. It definitely is making me debate working with a very limited palette soon!

"Strictly Ornamental"     4" x 5"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Panel

"Rock Garden" - A Still Life of Rocks from Nature

"Rock Garden"     5" x 7"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Panel

I have been working on this piece for a few days now, trying to perfect it as much as possible, focusing on making subtle shifts in color and in trying to create a dynamic work of art out of a simple pile of rocks from my garden. I've been feeling more and more like I need to try to truly work from nature and less from photographs I've taken, so as to get a more realistic feel in my larger works, and am thoroughly impressed with how this turned out. For a while there I was really worried about it, but in the end I got the results I wanted and can't wait to see how much I grow in this area as I keep practicing over the next year. I foresee many more paintings of this sort in the future, and am excited at the possibility that nature holds, for it seems that the options will be quite endless! I hope you are all having a fantastic day and will try posting that picture of "Beads of Dew" later, as soon as I get the chance. Things have just been a little hectic over here, as you can imagine...

"Around the Edges" - A Floral Expressionist Still Life Painting

"Around the Edges"     4" x 5"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Panel

So today's painting is a bit late again, but better late than never. And it's quite a bit of a departure from my normal style, but I'm really loving this journey of discovery I'm on, and of trying new things and not being afraid to experiment. It's quite freeing really. Unfortunately (or fortunately for those who think I ramble too much anyways... Cough, cough... Tyler...), I'm seriously too tired to type right now, so off to bed for me. Hope you're all enjoying a good night's sleep at this time (granted, unless you live across the world and it's the middle of the day, in which case, top of the morning to ya!) and I will see you all tomorrow, Lord willing. I have so much fun stuff to talk about, and I seriously can't wait! But alas, I have to. Lol! Sleep... Is... Calling.... Me. Must... Answer...!!!