New inspiration and new projects

I love going to museums and admiring some of my favorite artists and discovering new ones too! My goal for this year was to visit a different art exhibit every month and get inspired by different artist and interpret my favorite pieces in my own style just for fun. I don't know about you but every time I go to a museum I want to run home and paint or make something, so this idea was about actually holding myself accountable to do something with that excitement. Obviously it's the end of July, and I'm a little late in starting this series for the year but better late than never :)

I'll be honest, extreme stress affected my creativity and I lost my energy and passion for a while. I was definitely going through a dry spell and a creative block for months on end. If you go through this, I encourage you not to give up and keep drawing or doing your thing even if it's repetitive, boring, or what you think is not your best work. You never know what will come from a silly idea, random concept or mistake :)

I love going to the Kimbell Museum because they always have the best Impressionist exhibits which I love! The exhibit I saw was from the Phillips Collection, which including Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, and Bonnard just to name a few. I had never heard of Pierre Bonnard but I quickly fell for his dreamy brush strokes.

The Palm, Woman with Dog and The Open Window all by Bonnard

This orange Degas was stunning, I love the contrast of the background with light blue dancers 

I knew immediately I wanted to start my "Inspired by" project with this piece in mind.

Dancers at the Barre

I love bright colors so this was a no brainer. I added some bright coral to the original palette and I really love how Degas seemed to "sketch" with black paint the details of the body and I went a little crazy with the black accents but I'm ok with that :)

I kinda wanted to do a traditional medium but I started playing on my iPad instead. I really love procreate because the paintbrushes and other tools are so life-like in appearance. It's instant gratification without the mess and effort of actual paint and I'm all about getting started as soon as possible! 

closeup collage :P

What's your favorite type of art? Where do you get inspiration? Do you have a "go to" place? I love hearing about other people's interests and techniques :) 

Happy creating friends!!!

crafty projects and other stuff

Hi there, I'm going to try to write more than 1 post a month starting now, so let's see how that goes

here's what I'm excited about lately :)

I went to the Arlington Museum of Art and saw a Toulouse Lautrec and other post impressionist artists it was pretty interesting and I found some new favorites. The top one called is my favorite was just amazing in size was just so beautiful and relaxing to look at, the colors weren't vibrant but still really mesmerizing. I always feel a jolt of fresh creativity going to museums and being inspired by new and fun things, it makes me want to go home and work on my own projects :)

I also got to do a DIY project that I've been looking forward to for a while! I've been pretty interested in marbling for a while just never got around to doing it. I wanted to try it with nail polish so me and my friend tried it on mugs it turned out pretty cool, we decided that it would be better to use as a pen and pencil mug on a desk since the nail polish isn't dishwasher safe, etc. I really want to try a version with paint sometime soon or maybe Easter eggs!

As far as sewing projects go I've been wanting to make a tank dress from an already made tank top and whatever kind of cotton fabric you want, I first saw the idea here.
I found the most beautiful floral fabric, and a top I'm pretty happy with. Now I'm working up to making  a practice version 1st, so I don't mess up this beautiful fabric, it definitely gives me the fabric jitters >_<

 I've also been working on my stuffed animals, my little owl girl went to her new home so that was exciting! I'm working on more animals to list in my shop soon and thinking about new ideas too.

What have you been  up too lately?

Ideal Day

Hello I know I haven't posted in a while I got distracted with projects and work and life in general :)

Let's talk about an ideal day, what does that look like for you? An ideal, fun day for me would be enjoying some art, shopping at a fun store like Anthropologie (especially when they are having a sale) and adding to my fabric stash. I did just that over my holiday break, here are some of the highlights.

 I first went to Anthropologie, hoping a little to find something but I rarely do. I found a cute top that wasn't on sale (but now it is!)

AND I found this cute warm sweater moto jacket ON SALE, that actually makes me look pretty good I think especially since I've gained some weight and tried moto jackets in the past that just didn't work with my figure. I love the sweater cuffs and lace lining in the back and functioning pockets
YAY!!!! Anthropologie victory :)

I went to see the highly anticipated "Faces of Impressionism" exhibit at the Kimbell Museum in Ft. Worth. It wasn't exactly what I thought it would be but I discovered a few new pieces that are new favorites.  From Renoir and Van Gogh

I love the main building the exterior concrete walls are so fun and the main sculpture that welcomes you into the museum makes me happy!!! 

the view off to the side on my way into the museum

and facing the street from the museum entrance

Thirdly, I went to Cabbage Rose an awesome fabric store close to the museum.
I found some great fat quarters in complementary colors for a new project I'm working on and of course some adorable soft flannel in lovely colors!!!

I started making a patchwork owl but then I got distracted with other things as always ;)

That's my ideal fun day......what about you?
If you want to keep up with my projects and what not you can also check my instagram @floatingthrufields (which now has a link in my side bar YAY :)

Top 5

I actually got out this weekend and went to a museum it was awesome, here's more of what I'm excited about now!

1. Ansel Adams
I got to see some of his favorite photographs at an exhibit this weekend, it was so great to get out and be inspired. His photography is amazing!

this is my new favorite

2. Plants that look like other things.
My friend shared this link with me a while ago, but it still amazes me how awesome orchids are!

monkey face orchid

3. Summer Movies
Summer is ending soon, but there are still some great looking movies I have yet to see.
Like Phillip Seymour Hoffman's last thriller "A Most Wanted Man" 
 & on the goofier side "Guardians of the Galaxy" I've been a Chris Pratt Fan ever since Everwood so needless to say I'm pretty excited for this one. And on a hilarious side note, I love that Nan Lawson did a Rocket the Raccoon drawing lol :)

see more here

4. I'm loving this commercial, especially the laptop sticker of the funny looking cat in slow mo :)



5. I saw this story online awhile ago, about this girl painting Van Gogh's Starry Night on a thrifted dress for her prom, now that's dedication to a project!  And what do you know I was perusing Modcloth the other day, and I found a Starry Night dress. Anyway just wanted to share.

handpainted awesomeness

 Modcloth's version

What are you excited about lately?

Out & About

This weekend I actually got out of the house for the first time in forever, it was so nice to be around people and doing things I used to do. Like going to a quilt/craft show! It was a little over the top, but it was nice to look around and think about different ideas I've had for a while.

My friend found this awesome DIY project, who doesn't love easy clothing accents?!
Hopefully I will be able to try this soon!

from polkadotchair.com

I also finally got to go to the movies! One that I was really excited about! Begin Again, it was everything I could have hoped for, something to completely get engrossed in. I've listened to "Lost Stars" and "Coming Up Roses" all day long, it made my Monday quite fabulous.
If you like Adam Levine's voice at all, you need to listen to this.........

And finally good old fashion on fire inspiration. I discovered this artist on a fluke, and I am quite enamored with and blown away by his work. Peter Aurisch's line work and use of color stopped me in my tracks. I always get inspired when I go to my favorite museums, I haven't had the chance to do that in months. I haven't been this blown away by someone's work in a very long time.

His drawings are really amazing to and his geometric shapes remind me of Picasso.

Anyway, it's nice to go out and about and be inspired and kind of get back to normal. What's been the best thing you've done or seen in awhile?

Top 5 favorites

1. Last week was so crazy busy at work, I haven't had a chance to finish any posts. Here is my top 5 things I'm excited about right now :)
The Lego Movie & Soundtrack
I was pretty excited about the Lego movie before I saw it, but it was even better than I thought it would be! I have been a fan of Chris Pratt since Everwood and he is hilarious and heartwarming as Emmett, and Elizabeth Banks is awesome as the kick butt girly adventurer Wyldstyle, and Will Arnett makes an amazing turn as an over the top and cocky Batman.

 
 The upbeat techno soundtrack is wonderfully done by my favorite Mark Mothersbaugh :)
Everything is Awesome!!! kind of sums up the whole movie I think.

2. The weather has been warmer the past week or so and we were able to plant some bulbs and with the warmer weather everything has started budding out including our daffodils and tulip tree. Saturday it was over 80 degrees and Sunday it was icy and 24 degrees! I hope my veggie plants make it through this second terrible cold spell, I really would like some fresh veggies this Spring.

mini daffys

daffy says hello!

tulip tree

tulip close up

large daffodils

3. H&M girls apparel
I was working on some trend projects for work and I was looking at H&M's offerings and I couldn't get over the adorable blend of adult trends transformed with age appropriate cutesy details.  Here are some of my favorites:

stripes and florals

bow print dress and sneakers

jean skirt with braided belt polka dot top and sneakers

heart prints abound!

4. Hi tree
I have been a fan of Tina Rodas of Hi Tree since I ready her Etsy interview in 2008, I loved her felt trees then and I was looking at Stuffed magazine the other day and I saw some cute tree stumps with faces and I thought they looked vaguely familiar and then I realized they too were from Hitree I was so excited!

Mr Oak Tree

Mr Stump is simply adorable

 5. Art and Appetite an Amon Carter exhibit
Well this one is kind of a no brainer, I love art and I love food bring the two together and I'm pretty excited. This exhibit examines  American painting, culture and cuisine. There is quite an eclectic group of artists from Norman Rockwell to Andy Warhol. I really love the Amon's diversity in exhibits and on the plus side it's free :)

photo from here

This is what I'm excited about lately, what about you?

Weekend Recharge

Even though it was rainy, cloudy and cold this weekend, I still managed to get outside and enjoy the cold weather.
I went to the Nasher and got to see the Ken Price exhibit, from the pictures and style I was assuming it was large sculptures made of out plastic or something, but I was amazed to learn it was ceramic.

This was my favorite piece, I love the color combination and texture, it kinda reminds me of something flower like.

I like the color combo on this too

His finishing technique is really interesting, he would paint multiple layers on and then sand them down to create and textured effect, it's really amazing to see in person, it's hard to wrap your brain around it. Even though I have worked a little with ceramics, I was baffled and intrigued.

Ken working with the clay

He started putting his own spin on a more traditional vessel, and created a very large series of cups.
I really like the ones with animal touches. This was a retrospective exhibit, I always love to see how people start out and grow as artist, how one idea transforms into another. Like for example one of his earlier cups was one with a snail, and then later his style became more geometric and rigid with bright colors and angles.

I always love being immersed in other people's work, it gives me hope and motivation to keep pursuing and what's important to me.

I wish my backyard was this awesome. All lush and green with big trees and sculptures, it's so calm and relaxing out there. I love it :)

We decided to go to the new park that recently open, it's built over a large highway, and there was food trucks! Even though it was cold, we decided to get ice cream sandwiches from Cool Haus.

you get to choose your cookie and filling

double chocolate cookie with vanilla bean ice cream

 

 

Then I went over to the DMA to take pictures of my favorite part of the museum, the glass sculpture installation that's arranged in the front window, it looks like Chihuly but I'm not sure.

love the colors

In short, I had a great weekend and got my batteries recharged. What's your favorite weekend activity to get your batteries recharged? Happy Monday to you!