10% for autism

10% for autism is back! 

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, or at my house, we also it Wednesday. 

April is Autism Action month, and I will be donating 10% of all art sales to the Northwest Indiana chapter of the National Autism Association. They will use the money to offer support, information, and grants (yes, actual money!) to families who have a loved with with autism. It's a great organization and I supported them with last year's 10% for autism. The donation will happen on all sales, whether you buy artwork from me directly (please, help me get it out of my house!) or if you buy it from any of the galleries and spaces where it is out in public (support the businesses that are supporting me!) There are lots!


snow day, and two other little gouaches are at Sip in Crown Point. I know we're all sick of snow and winter and ready for spring, but the show is called DRIFT and it's appropriate for that.

snow day, gouache, 4" x 4"

haze, and eight other #art365 landscapes ( and 2 america series paintings) are at Paul Henry's Art Gallery in Hammond. 

haze, acrylic, 4" x 6"

CornerStone Gallery in Whiting has 3 gouaches on handmade paper, including creekside.

creekside, gouache on handmade paper, ~4" x 4"

what gets left behind is at the Beverly Shores Depot Gallery. They aren't officially open until next month, but this piece is already there. I think if you asked really nicely they would sell it to you before the show opened.

what gets left behind, acrylic, 30" x 40"

Back in Hammond, Merge has two large paintings: consideration and before.

before, acrylic and ink, 40" x 60"

And I'll leave you with one from my overflowing studio, which seems appropriate for Autism Action: okay.

okay, ink, 7" x 7"

I told you there was lots. You can check my website, but my studio assistant hasn't updated that in the last month, and a lot of #printoctober monotypes didn't get posted either. More can be found on google+. twitter, and facebook. Also check the Throwback Thursday posts.

So if you were ever thinking to yourself: hey, self? I would really like one of Dawn's drawings or paintings or prints or something, because, you know, she's pretty awesome, then this would be a good month to actually do that. You can get some great art and work up some good karma, too. And really, you can never have too much of either.

in the studio

This week's big accomplishment was the rework of this was only a dream. Rework actually doesn't begin to cover it. It was 24" x 48" and I wasn't quite happy with it. I had experimented with some things on it and learned a lot, but the end just wasn't there. And because it was so long, I upended the canvas to save room. This canvas had originally painted vertically and seeing it that way made me feel like it still wanted to be in that orientation. But then, it was so skinny. So I added in another canvas and now I had 48" x 60" which is more substantial. I forgot how hard it is to reach the top of 48". That extra 8" makes quite a difference. Needless to say, it looks nothing like the last version. I am however happy with this piece. There is ink text in the background which says:

this was only a dream but now I am awake.

but some days I wish I was still asleep. 

this was only a dream, acrylic and ink on canvas, 48" x 60"

I began working on another piece, tentatively titled out of reach. I changed the composition from yesterday, only to step back and realize the change didn't work. This piece will have a few more days' work. The color will be changing as well. This was just blocking in the underpainting.

out of reach, work in progress
acrylic and ink, 48" x 24"

And I finished the bicycle pieces. If you haven't been following along, another artist donated a whole huge stack of canvases to me, right after I agreed to donate a piece of work to Habitat for Humanity. The good karma had to be paid forward. I do from time to time make overt offerings to the good karma gods and a stack of canvases was going to need a karmic thank you. So my pay it forward, good karma plan is to offer up these two paintings in auction with no minimum bid. Right now they have bids of $5 and $10. (I said no minimum bid and I wasn't kidding!) The links will take you to my facebook page. If you aren't on facebook and would like to bid, or would like to bid privately, contact me and I will update the bid for you.

bicycle I, acrylic on canvas panel, 24" x 36"

bicycle II, acrylic on canvas panel, 24" x 36"

Why bicycles? Because my 10 year old son finally learned how to ride a bike. He hasn't even wanted to try for the last few years and was very self conscious about it. Mean mommy that I am, I made him try it. It took a couple of days of me running alongside, holding the bike up. (Thankfully, only a few days because that was exhausting!) Now he is out for bike rides every day. That joy and pride and freedom inspired these two pieces.

in the studio

Tuesday, I took a road trip with some friends and my younger son, Gabe. Gabe is known to my facebook friends for his (often unintended) hilarity. In our adventure, he played the role of the mostly well meaning, but slightly annoying neighbor kid, cast for comedic breaks. We were exploring historic sites along the Ideal Stretch of the Lincoln Highway, and slightly beyond. Dyer to La Porte with several stops in between. Like most older highways, a newer, shinier, wider road has mostly taken over the same route and what's left is a back road. The back roads are always more interesting. This inspired several #art365 pieces. 

cornfields, acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

corn tassels, acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

beans and corn, acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

the edge of the field (queen anne's lace), acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

And while I thought there might or might not be more in this series, today I woke up to find a friend tagged me in a pic on facebook with the view of a pond she said looked like one of my paintings. Which it did. I pretty much had to paint it.

steam rising (fishing pond), acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

This piece also gave me some other ideas mid-painting which I hope to explore next week. Finally, I worked on the bicycle paintings. They are getting closer. I've been bouncing back and forth between them, working on them both just about every day this week. Still in progress. It has not been lost on me that I have now spent more time on these than I did on consideration.

I hope to get these done in the next week. Then, one or two of you may get some new artwork for you walls at a great price, because I plan to sell them as silent auctions for one week, as an offering to the good karma gods.

and now for some more good karma

Who doesn't need more good karma? I mean, seriously, if you feel like you could use some karmic interference, you need to earn it. You need to be grateful and thankful for good things in your life. I really believe appreciation is a key factor in this.

early summer prairie, acrylic on canvas, 4" x 4"

early summer prairie is the #art365 piece for 5.29.13. #art365 is my pledge/challenge to make art every day. I started January 1st and have made some art every day since then. Some days I do a lot and some days I do a little, but I haven't missed a day yet. I am posting #art365 on facebook, as well as  google+ twitter and pinterest. #art365 landscapes are also being posted to my website.

So here is the next good karma giveaway. This is for facebook because I already promised it for facebook. Sadly, there are too many hoops to jump through to have the giveaway on facebook. Happily, a large portion of the sales I've had this year have been through facebook! So, thanks, facebook likers! When I hit 200 likes, I will give away this painting to a random comment-er on this blog post.


Rules? 

1. You have to like my facebook page. You can do that here. 
2. You have to leave a comment on this blog post. Not on the link to wherever you may have seen it, but actually on this post.

That's it. The drawing will be one week after I hit 200. I will post an update edit when that happens, with a firm date for the deadline.

Deadline update: Today is 6.17.13 and I have just hit 200 likes, thanks to everyone who shared my page and invited friends. The deadline will be in one week: Monday 6.24.13 at 4pm Central time. Please be sure to comment on this post, not the link. Thanks!

in the studio

Most of this week was spent on bad penny. A couple of days I only took detail shots. oops. I know it's a little bit like where's waldo trying to find the differences from one day to the next, but I assure you there was work done in between each of these shots. I think I am now done with this piece. I am going to leave it for now and live with it for a few days before I decide for sure, and then I'll sign it if it is staying like this.

I also got back to the #art365 landscapes. wetlands was inspired by a photo a friend posted to facebook and early summer prairie is the next good karma giveaway. You can find out how to win early summer prairie here.

early summer prairie, acrylic on canvas, 4" x 4"

waterways, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

#art365 : the bright ones (or it's starting to look like spring)

Do you have any bright ones? 

 Yes, we're pretty much over winter here in the Midwest. It is near the end of April. Is it spring yet? Let's have it already. We're impatient. And even though I've been enjoying seeing all the different shades of browns and tans and greys, I'm ready for some color, too. Here's some of the latest #art365 pieces which show spring on the way.

4.10.13 afternoon prairie, overcast, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

4.16.13 slow morning, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

4.17.13 vinca, leaf buds, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

4.20.13 deceiving spring, with willows, wicker park, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

4.22.13 forsythia, willows, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

 You can see the whole #art365 series on my website. Now through the end of April: 10% for autism for Autism Awareness Month.

10% for autism

#art365 4.1.13 new life, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

I've been thinking recently that it was about time to do another good karma giveaway. I have a lot going on art-wise and I am very grateful for it, even if I do sometimes think I have too much going on. And then I had one of those rare (for me) really decisive moments. 

 I'm going to give 10% of all my sales for the month of April to NAA-NWI.

April is Autism Awareness month.  The Northwest Indiana chapter of the National Autism Association offers support and information to local families. You can donate directly to them here.

I have a soon to be teenager with pretty severe autism. Depending how you know me, this may not have come up in conversation before. I am really not ready to have a teenager. Probably a lot of parents feel this way. Probably not a lot of parents who feel this way are in the middle of potty training their teenager. I talked about how having a special needs child impacts my work last summer in this video.

Currently I have artwork in Crown Point, Dyer, Whiting and Hammond. And I certainly have tons more in my studio. 10% of any and all sales for the month of April will go to NAA.

How to find my work:

A selection of #art365 landscapes are at Candy Café.

Alternate Realities is at South Shore Arts.

Recent paintings at Paul Henry's Art Gallery.

I will be part of Live Art Show, April 5th, at Studio 659.

And there's more work on my website and facebook page.

winner announcement! (and ATC Day 22)

I just emailed the winner of the good karma giveaway. I can't announce who it is, because he/she didn't leave a name, just an email addy...so check your email, it could be you!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway! I can't give away something if I have no one to give it to. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And back to our regularly scheduled ATC daily card. Only one more week and then I'll be back to posting other artwork, like the mixed media pieces I've been working on for the grant.

The ATC is an artist trading card and this project is a challenge issued by Susan Henshaw's Art Challenge. 30 Artists, 30 Days, 30 ATCs. The links .... I am still posting on pinterest. You can also follow Kim Clanton and Teri Partridge on their blogs. Lynette K. Waters-Whitesell, Susan Henshaw, and Leslie Lambert are both posting albums on facebook.

ATC: Day 20

acrylic and ink on watercolor paper. I know, you can't really see the ink. I sketched this out in ink and planned to watercolor over it, but found a few minutes and got out some acrylics. This was the last watercolor card I had. The rest will be on canvas paper cards, unless I get to the store to buy that last pack for #31-40 and I change my mind...

The ATC is an artist trading card and this project is a challenge issued by Susan Henshaw's Art Challenge. 30 Artists, 30 Days, 30 ATCs. The links .... I am still posting on pinterest. You can also follow Kim Clanton and Teri Partridge on their blogs. Lynette K. Waters-Whitesell, Susan Henshaw, and Leslie Lambert are both posting albums on facebook.


Don't forget! Tomorrow is the last day to register for the good karma giveaway by signing up for my mailing list! (right over there ->->->)

ATC: Day 14 and 15

Today is a three-fer, sort of. I didn't want to post one yesterday inside the good karma giveaway post because it seemed a little confusing. Not that I've let that stop me before, because, if you've been reading, you know I'll throw whatever's going on into the mix. So to start off today's post, I have yesterday's card.

Today, I did two, a little darker for me than usual.

The links .... I am still posting on pinterest. You can also follow Kim Clanton and Teri Partridge on their blogs. Lynette K. Waters-Whitesell and Leslie Lambert are both posting albums on facebook.

good karma

A few days ago, I decided it was time for another good karma giveaway. To convince me this was the right thing to do, I got two pieces of potentially good art related news later that day. So, if I had any doubt about it, the Universe was clearly telling me I was on the right track.

I did a good karma giveaway earlier this year, with a yet-to-be-created giveaway. (Although it's been created now and is happily in its new owner's home.) This time around, I have an actual piece completed especially for this. It's a 4"x4" canvas with a little bitty america painting on it. And it could be yours. Or yours. Or yours. Any one of the three of you reading this post could have this little piece of america all for yourself!

Last time I asked that you like my facebook page, because it was related to the giveaway celebration, but this time you don't have to. (but, really, you should.) no pressure. (but do it. now. and tell all your friends to do it, too.) This time I asked for suggestions, and you might be happy to learn that I chose not to go with the entry idea of who had the longest walk to my house.

Here's how you enter: sign up for my mailing list. There's a handy form right there on the right side of this blog post. You don't even need to leave this page ->->->

You've got one week to get around to signing up. But seriously, you're right here, just do it now before you forget. I will not sell your email info and I do not send out a lot of emails, usually less thanIf you are already on the mailing list, just leave me a comment to include you in the drawing. So sign up for the mailing list by 9.21.12 and I will announce the winner on Saturday the 22nd.  

ATC: Day 10

watercolor pencil and gouache today.

The links .... I am still posting on pinterest. You can also follow Kim Clanton and Teri Partridge on their blogs. Lynette K. Waters-Whitesell and Leslie Lambert are both posting albums on facebook.

Tonight is the painting demo for Illiana Artists, and I am both excited and nervous. Post tomorrow about how that went: what I painted, if I cried, how many many people fell asleep, all that. Also, I'm thinking it's about time for another good karma giveaway, so stay tuned for that.

good karma

So last month's good karma piece was made and sent off and the good karma giveaway winner DK loved it. yay! I'm still waiting for the good karma to catch up with my regular life, but it seems to be working really well for Art Related Things.

good karma, ink, watercolor pencil and gouache

the thank you post

Sometime in the last week, I hit 150 "likes" on my facebook page. That is all kinds of awesome and I am grateful for the support. Art related things are going really well for me right now and there are good things in store all summer. Seems like a good time to put some good karma out into the world.

I wanted to have a giveaway to commemorate this cool facebook milestone, but I'd have to hire a lawyer to be sure I met all of the terms of agreement red tape and thaought that sounded like to much trouble/money/work. Seriously, this is why all the contests and giveaways on fb are links to blogs where you have to leave a comment or join an email list.

So here's the rules:

1. You must "like" my page. If you are reading this, you probably already have.
2. Leave a comment on this post. I don't really care what you comment, but, keep it semi-clean, please. You aren't getting bonus points for creativity or sucking up. However, sucking up is always appreciated.
3. The deadline to comment is 5/21/12. Randomly, one comment will be chosen and that person will get a small, unframed work on paper. If, at the drawing date, I have 200 "likes", there will be a second winner. That gives you two weeks to come up with a witty comment and, if you choose, get all your friends, family members, old schoolmates, and co-workers-who-you-really-don't-like-but-felt-obligated-to-accept-their-friend-request on board. The winner(s) will be announce the next day.

What are your odds? Well, technically, right now, they are 1:149 (because I'm not counting myself), although I'm pretty sure they are better than that, based on the regular interaction I get on the page. And if I hit 200, then it will be 1:99.5, and again in reality better than that. So if you invite your friends to the party, your chances of winning actually go up. Good karma for you, too!

Will it be a drawing or a painting? I don't know, I haven't made it yet. Does it matter? It will be awesome!