"Are You My Mother?" - A Whimsical Painting

"Are You My Mother?"     5" x 7"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Board

Not For Sale

I'm not sure if you are familiar with marine biology, but this little guy is called a Nudibranch, and he's a form of soft-bodied mollusk. I've always loved these little creatures, and think that they are some of the most amazingly beautiful and uniquely designed creatures God has ever created. They simply blow me away! My niece, who's 9th  birthday was this last weekend (Happy Birthday Iris!!!), has a particular fondness for Nudibranchs as well, and so her momma, my sister, asked if I could make a painting of them for her as a birthday present. Of course I jumped at the idea since I love painting sea creatures, especially when they look as whimsical as these do, and it turned out that this painting was quite the treat for me as well. Plus in the end she seemed to really like it, which made my day! =D

It's been so much fun for me this last week or so to get back into working on paintings in my whimsical style - I didn't realize how much I missed it! Hopefully I'll find some time to get back into painting like this on a more consistent basis, or even just find some time to paint period. Haha, one can dream, right? Well, I hope you're doing well on this rather blustery day - I know I'm enjoying the simple fact that I get to enjoy it from inside my house (I never have been one to like windy days,  though I do so enjoy to hear the rustling of the trees and the soft, sweet notes of my wind chimes). Take care, my friends, and stay safe out there!

"Henry and His Nectarine" and the Instructions for the New Contest for JUNE 2013

Hi there my friends! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted a brand new painting, I just knew this would happen when my new flare hit. But I'm hanging in here, trying to build up my strength every day, and trying to finish up some of the incredible projects and commissions I have going on right now. I have some wonderful new things in the works that I'd love to share with you, but I want to wait until they are a bit more seasoned until I unveil them. So many new paintings are on the way, so many commissions close to completion, and I can't wait to show each and every one of them to you!

But until then, here is one sweet little painting I finished about a week ago. This painting actually has a rather funny story to it. It started out as a humble little nectarine on a plain greyish white background and somehow, I seriously don't quite know how, it morphed into this. Large buildings all aglow with lights (which seem to truly glow in person thanks to Golden's Interference Gold) popped up in the background, and a book-reading little caterpillar seems to have set up shop against a plump, fresh nectarine. I love how playful this turned out - it reminds me of "James and the Giant Peach" which has always been one of my favorite books.

"Henry and His Nectarine"    4" x 4"    Acrylic on Museum Quality Claybord

Oops, I almost forgot to put up this month's contest news!

CONTEST INFORMATION FOR JUNE 2013
So this month's contest is a simple one. I would like to hear from you what types of work you like to see from me the most or that you would like to see more of. Do you like a certain style in particular, or a certain subject for that matter, or do you want to see something made into a series? You could even let me know if you have a painting or a series in mind that you'd like to see from me. Anyone who comments on my blog from today through the 30th of June with an answer to any of these questions will be entered to win this sweet little painting above. So let me know what you think, okay? I hope to be hearing from you soon. Thanks!

And the 3 Winners Are....

"Entangled"     4" x 5"    Acrylic on Archival Canvas Board

Congratulations Jeanette Combs! You've won 1st place for May's Contest! How exciting! And Congratulations to our 2nd and 3rd Place winners, Rachelle Gosling and Sea Dean, as well! Why don't you all go ahead and look through the options below, according to what place you've won, and let me know what you would like for your prize.

My appologies for not getting this out sooner - I honestly didn't realize just how much info needed to be tabulated in order for me to give out the correct amount of tickets to each contestant. But now that it's done I just want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who signed up for my newsletters - I'm so excited to get started on those soon! Thank you for your steady support both now and in the future!

Here are the options for our prize winners:

Jeanette, you may choose any one of these "1st Place Prize 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. =)

Rachel and Sea, each of you may choose any one of these "2nd and 3rd Place Prize 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.

Today's the Day!!!

Today is the day I get to post up all the winners from this months contest. I had a good amount of people sign up for my newsletter, and just so you know, if you still want to sign up and hear about fun events, what's going on, and great upcoming promotions, then you can still sign up by emailing me or "Facebooking" me.

Okay, so I'm working on all the things that go into tallying everyone up correctly, and God willing, I will have the totals either tonight or tomorrow. So excited to see who won this time! There are so many choices for prizes and I can't wait to see what they'll pick. AWESOMENESS!!!

I'll try to be back here asap, but until then, take care!  =D 

"This Little Piggy" - A Figurative Painting by Melissa Adams

"This Little Piggy"     5" x 7"     Acrylic on Museum Quality Claybord

I just love little baby toes, don't you? I couldn't resist painting Owen's sweet little feet when I stumbled across this shot I took of him as a newborn the other day. Have a great one, my friends!  =)

"Fresh Catch" - A Miniature Owl Painting

"Fresh Catch"     2" x 2"     Acrylic on Canvas

 SOLD

Here's one of the commissions I've been working on lately and just finished up this last week. It's a sequel to my painting "Flying Through the Snow," and is one of the 3 owl paintings that were commissioned to make up a miniature series. I LOVED painting this! And I'm having a blast on the final one as well. I seriously cannot wait to post a picture of the entire series! =D

Below I've included some images to show you what it looks like in real life. On the right it's featured on a miniature black easel (the easels come in black, white or natural pine), and on the left it rests gently in my hand. Kinda helps to give you a better sense of perspective, huh? =)

If you're ever interested in commissioning an original painting from me, whether you want one on a much larger scale or you want a sweet little miniature like this one, I would love to paint it for you if I can. Original paintings, no matter what size, make wonderful gifts, especially for those "hard to please" people in your life who don't seem to need anything and won't ever tell you what they want. Why not surprise them with an original work of art? These little miniatures make some of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts ever, and they're quite affordable too! They make the perfect gift for people who you don't actually know that well but you still have to buy gifts for, like a boss, a co-worker, or a cousin. And all you need to know is a few little tidbits about them, such as their favorite food, favorite animal, or favorite vacation spot. For instance, if you know where they spent their honeymoon or of a place where they've always wanted to visit, I could paint a picture of that special place for them. If it's Hawaii, then a gorgeous sunset with palm trees silhouetted against the sky would be a lovely token from you, and if they like camping, a mountain lake or view from Half Dome would be exquisite. What a sweet and thoughtful gift, right?! So if you're interested, why not email me or send me a message via Facebook so I can get started on it right away?!  

Make an impression this year by ordering a commission today!  =D

Fun Facts about Paint Colors

Remember back when I asked you to "Guess. That. Texture!"? You have to read that last sentence real dorky-like, okay? Haha - It's just part of the rules, okay...? lol  So ANYWAYS! Well, I've got another one for you today my friend, and I'm truly hoping it's a little more difficult this time. Go ahead, give it a shot! After all, if it's anything like last time you'll get it immediately... Sooo lame on my part, I know, I know! LOL! =P

"Guess. That. Texture!" for May 2012

 Just leave your comment stating what you think it is and I'll let you know if you're right.  =)
 
So I've been trying to make the most of my current predicament by researching colors and tools of the trade via Dick Blick's online store. I've spent days working on an order, as I've found myself lost, in the best of ways, in all the information and expansive range of products available on their site. I have to say, I was really, really wanting to study color theory by buying a book on Amazon, but I'm not sure if I'll need to after I place this order! Lol

I probably will still eventually buy a book, but for now, I'm content on reading all that Dick Blick has to say about the colors they offer. Did you know they have specs and descriptions of the origins, make-up, history, toxicity, and properties of each of their pigments, and they break down each color by the pigments it uses so you know exactly what you're buying? I never knew how invaluable this info could be until now, nor how interesting! I mean, listen to this example. Did you know that when you use lamp black "in oil paints, it is one of the slowest drying pigments, and should not be used in underpainting or applied in layers underneath other colors." Because I sure had no clue about that! And did you know that "Lamp Black is a carbon based black traditionally produced by collecting soot (known as lampblack) from oil lamps. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. It is the black found in Egyptian murals and tomb decorations and was the most popular black for fresco painting until the development of Mars Black." That's pretty awesome!

And this next little tidbit's quite fascinating too:

"The name for this pigment [Ultramarine Blue] comes from the Middle Latin ultra, meaning beyond, and mare, meaning sea, because it was imported from Asia to Europe by sea. It is a prominent component of lapis lazuli and was used on Asian temples starting in the 6^th century. It was one of the most expensive pigments in 16^th century Europe, worth twice its weight in gold, and so was used sparingly and when commissions were larger. Ultramarine is currently imitated by a process invented in France in 1826 by Jean Baptiste Guimet, making blue affordable to artists and extending the range of colors on their palettes. "

I'm really enjoying this little shopping/schooling adventure I have going on here. I've always had an intensely scholastic flare in me, well, other than in my uber-rebellious and regrettable high school years. But yeah, aside from those I've always loved to learn as much as I can about the things I love and it seems the inner Honors student in me has come out to play again, and with paint and color theory this time. How fun! You should really go check it out sometime if you have a minute. It's really fascinating if you care to know more about color in general, including what colors combine to make up other colors so that you can try to mix them yourself. And it's an added bonus to learn how these colors were found and created. Here's the link if you want to go and check it out. I have it open to the color pigment section of Payne's Grey made by Golden Artist Colors, Inc., where all the info listed above came from, and if you want to see more colors you can just click the "Back To" Golden Fluid Acrylics link at the top of the page and then click on the item number on the far right side of whatever color you'd like to see. They include different tabs for color swatches, specs and descriptions so you can flip between these if you're so inclined.  I'd love to hear about any of the new things you've learned about or discovered lately in the world of art, whether from this site or another. Leave a comment below if you have any fun or interesting facts - I just love to eat this stuff up! Nom, nom, nom.... =)

 OH YEAH, I ALMOST FORGOT! I wanted to remind you about this month's contest. It's got some pretty amazing prizes and it's going to have 3 winners and multiple ways to boost your chances, so you have an even better shot at WINNING a PRIZE!
  
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS MONTH'S CONTEST - 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 so often as to fill up my whole inbox within a week. What I like are the little notes telling me about what's going on with them, personally and business-wise, and I love getting reminders and coupons that tell me about amazing deals and events so I don't miss out. I love that. I love that when I sign up to follow someone's mailing lists, and I like that as a rule for my own.

I'm sure you can see where this month's contest is headed. It's mailing list time! And what I said I liked above, well, 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're busy too. =)

My hope for my own mailing list is to send out updates once a month or once every few months (I'm sure the latter is more how it will be) letting you know any fun and exciting updates with me personally and business-wise, and telling you about any deals or contests or incentives that I have going on at the moment. I imagine some months will be busier than others, and therefore easier to fill up the page with than others, but no matter what, I will do my hardest to make them interesting and worth your while. They will be fun and informative, and sometimes there will be AMAZING deals in them that only people who sign up for my newsletters will be eligible to receive. I hope to include things like blasts from the past, where we take a look back at my older works of art, which I'm sure will make you all laugh, as well as interviews, poems, photos, and upcoming events. I will include 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 a note or even just a sweet little 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 me. But I sure won't be filling up any of your mailboxes with a ton of wasted paper or 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 my own. But this should be fun and I truly hope you can join in this new and exciting adventure with me!

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 all and so I 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! Just ask Rene - Lol! So go ahead, what are you waiting for? Sign up to get great deals, exciting 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 I've listed below. 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, if that's what you want.
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, if that's what you want. 
5. Two sets of 5 notecards, with a phrase written on it (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, if that's what you want. 

So good luck! =D