Family and Letting Go

I guess the title of this post might be a tad misleading. It is about family, and it is about letting go, but not letting go of anyone.

Detail view of Family, a mixed media piece by artist, Melissa Sherbon.

By Family, I mean my latest canvas. It's called Family, and it was a commission with a twist. My best friend's father asked me to paint a piece for him, but he wanted it to represent my own family. I was so touched that my family means that much to him, so of course I couldn't wait to get started on the piece!

Detail view of Family

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I always doubt myself. I always freak out a little bit over commissions for one reason or another, and this was no different. I started worrying I wasn't going to be able to get my emotions out effectively. That I wouldn't represent my loved ones well. That I wouldn't get into a flow and the piece would never come together. See? I freak out a little!

Well, like always with my creativity, I find inspiration when I least expect it. I was out picking up the canvas and got side tracked in the scrapbook paper. (Who hasn't done that before, right?) I found so much wonderful paper! Ideas started churning, images started popping up, and suddenly I had an arm load of paper and ephemera before I even got to the canvas aisle!

Thankfully, the wave kept up! I tend to be moody during a painting. I have highs and lows, hate it then love it, then hate it again. It's just part of the process sometimes. But not this time! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this piece. It felt like it was flowing from a greater source, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome! It's my favorite piece of mine.

That's where the letting go comes in. 

I really enjoyed the process on this one! the colors came together so well! (Detail of Family.)

I do a lot of pieces that just hang on my own walls. I do a lot of them solely for myself. This piece pushed me to do something I would probably not have undertaken on my own because the subject always seemed too close to me. I'm grateful for this challenge because, even though I have to let it go to a new home, I was pushed to paint something very close to my heart. And that push helped me really think, really connect with all my wonderful family memories and put my whole heart into the piece. 

Family, a 30x30" mixed media painting on canvas by Melissa Sherbon.

So that's what I mean by Family and Letting Go. Family has to be my favorite piece of my work to date, but it just feels right that it won't stay here with me, but go out in the world. Sort of like my actual family... They make the world a little brighter just being out there. And that's exactly what I hope this piece will end up doing!

Has It Really Been a Year?

One of the beautiful views on St. Pete Beach.

WOW! Has it really been almost a year since my last post? I'm so fired!

So much has been going on! The end of 2013 was a whirlwind of activity that seriously changed my life for ever. Don't worry, it was for the better! I grew so much as a person and artist at the end of last year that I can't even fully put it into words, but I'll sure try...

I don't know about you, but I struggle every time I get out a canvas or a piece of paper to work. I was feeling stuck and almost ready to give up and put my paints away for a while until my mojo decided to return. I'd dabble here and there, but I couldn't really find myself anymore. Then, October rolled around.

October is always exciting because I get to celebrate another year of marriage to my wonderful husband, but this October was so much more than I could have ever expected! A day or two before my anniversary (5 years!!!), I got a Facebook message from my friend, Monique. Now, I've never had the pleasure of meeting Monique face to face; we met through our blogs and mutual love for photography and have been Facebook friends for a few years. Anyway, I was doing the ol' Facebook check before getting dinner going, and I had a message from Monique! She said she had signed up for a workshop with Tracy Verdugo in Saint Petersburg, FL and couldn't make it...would I like to take her place?

Some of the beautiful dunes on St Pete Beach, Florida.

I was SO floored! Just plain struck speechless and beyond touched that she thought of me, of all people! I told her, not only was she making my day, month, and year, but helping me mark off a bucket list item! (Tracy Verdugo is one of my favorite artists!) I still haven't found a way to repay her unbridled generosity, but I hope I can some day. 

Just a few of my workshop supplies!

All I can say is, October 2013 was when my mojo returned by way of Tracy's Paint Mojo workshop! It was also the time Life was trying to teach me to accept good things when they happen to me, face my fears, and have heaps and heaps of faith. I was scared to death! My mind started racing...I won't know anyone there! I've never been to St. Pete! I've never been to a workshop, what if I screw up?  There will be real artists there...I'm not anywhere near good enough for this.
Rob stopped me and told me to just breathe. He was right. I wasn't about to let my anxiety screw up another opportunity. This was the chance of a lifetime! I set about collecting my supplies and getting a hotel. A week later, we got up at the crack of dawn and struck out for St. Pete and a workshop that would change my life forever!

I was so nervous! A two and a half hour drive gave my silly brain unlimited time to freak out. I don't know how many times I told Rob I felt like I was a kindergartner on the very first day of school! I was just glad Rob could walk me in and help me get set up. The first few moments were scary...walking in, finding my place, saying hello to a few of the other students. As the room filled up and I unpacked, I got a little more comfortable. Rob kissed me goodbye and I was on my own.

Rischa and her mom, painting their hearts out!

But that was the last time I felt that way! As Tracy started the class, and we met one another and spent time in a wonderful circle on the beach, I wasn't as nervous anymore! And, as it turned out, synchronicity had another hand in the day and I ended up sitting next to someone who would become a sister I never new I had! It just so happened that Rischa and her mom, Mrs. Billie, were my long lost friends. At lunch break, we discovered we were all from the Augusta, GA area, we both have special health issues, we are both introverted creatives, and we both needed this mojo boost! By the end of the second day, we were best friends and soul sisters! 

Rischa and me out and about in DeLand!

The 2013 Paint Mojo Workshop gave me so much more than I could have ever expected. It wasn't just a class, but an awakening. I still can't find the words to give it the justice it deserves. I can't thank Monique enough for the gift and opportunity, I can't thank Tracy enough for helping me find my creative spirit again, and I can't thank the Universe enough for the life long connection I have with everyone in that room. I finally found my Tribe!

My fabulous St. Pete Tribe! Love you ALL!!!!

I had to get a picture with our Tribe leader, Tracy! 

Rischa and I have been inseparable since then...and our husbands, too! I mean, it really feels more like a re-connection with old friends rather than a new one. I feel so blessed! That workshop opened a flood gate of creativity in me that I can't explain. If you ever have the opportunity to take one of Tracy's workshops, DO IT. You won't regret it at all. I didn't just gain knowledge and new techniques. I found an entire new family. A tribe I gather love, strength, and creativity from every single day. I love them all!

So...yeah. There's been a lot going on around here! I've been on a creative wave since then, and I am so thankful! And in 2014, I will try to update more than I did last year. I hope you'll stick around!

First Solo Art Exhibit...Check!

What a weekend! It sure was hot, and I sure was busy, but it was fun! 

Last Friday was the finally the time for my solo exhibit for the DeLand 4th Friday Art Walk! Mother nature decided I had to work extra hard for it, so it was inching toward 100°F around time for the festivities with no rain in sight. Thank goodness for wonderful friends and family, too, or I would have never gotten things set up in time!

My adopted family, Deanna and Mary, came all the way from Savannah to help set up for the show. I hope they know that meant the world to me, too. And, my adorable husband gave 110% getting things just right once we got everything set up. If you came by, you probably met him on the street, shaking hands and handing out cards like a mad man. (Thanks, baby!)

Thank you to everyone who stopped by for a visit. I appreciate you coming out in the heat to share my work. I really enjoyed talking techniques and answering questions about my process. I didn't know what to expect for my first solo exhibit, but in all I think I greeted about 50 people!

For those of you who weren't able to make it, here are the new pieces I debuted at the show!

Wander is a 4x12 inch mixed media on canvas. It's one of my favorite quotes! It never fails to motive and inspire me. Leave it to Tolkien to inspire, right? I enjoyed this a lot,

I Want to Ride My Bicycle was inspired by a local contest. I didn't make the deadline to enter, but I still loved my finished piece! The journaling is the lyrics of the chorus to the famous Queen song!

Happier  is sort of self explanatory. Who doesn't love a french fry? I loved this little quote when I saw it on Pinterest, and I just had to put it on canvas!

And, last but not least, Sacred Centers was inspired by my yoga practice and spiritual path. I've really felt the creativity flowing since discovering chakra meditation. This piece is what I imagine my creativity looking like from my soul's perspective.

Thanks again for all the support, and to everyone who came out for the 4th Friday Art Walk! I hope this is just the first of many shows! If you're interested in purchasing prints of my work (originals aren't available just yet so I can get prints made of everything) please visit my shop, Mixed Media Art by Melissa Sherbon!

Wearable Art Rocks!

imagesource.com

I think everyone loves some sort of art. I love all kinds, but even I tend toward aesthetically pleasing every day objects. I'm practical, so sue me! Take bangle bracelets for instance. I love their look. The ornate metals ones, the carved wooden ones...even the trendy plastic ones work with some outfits. I'm more inclined to the wooden carved ones. It's just my inner Bohemian. But you know what? Sometimes all a girl can find are the plastic ones. And sometimes, that's what an idea needs.

I love unique jewelry. I love shopping for it, but I also love making it myself when I just can't find that special piece. So, when I was paint shopping at our local Michael's and came across an entire bin of $1 plastic bangle bracelets, my mind when into overdrive! The 80s are back in force, so most of the bracelets were crazy neon colors, but that didn't matter. I wasn't about to leave them alone and naked. They needed a little personality!

If you know me even a little bit, you know I have a paper fetish. Tissue paper, scrapbook paper, newspaper, vintage book pages...I love them all! This love goes beyond a mild appreciation. I almost always feel completed to cover things with them. Mod Podge is this girl's best friend! So I immediately thought back to a gift I made my sister a few years ago for Christmas.

Thanks to my lovely sister for her modeling talents!

I knew how much my sister loved a bangle, so I decided it'd be a good idea to make one. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought two or three student dictionaries and I was set! I covered her bracelet with words and definitions that described her; a Self Portrait Bracelet of sorts. It's been a few years, so I can't remember most of the really unique words, but I know beautiful, smart, athletic, and outgoing made the list.

I always wished I had made one for myself after giving that to her. So, when I saw that bin of bangles, I dove right in! Three bracelets came home with me, and two have been reborn.

My self portrait bangle! And my new, yummy periwinkle fingernail polish, too!

The first one was my very own Self Portrait bracelet. It's harder for me to pick out self descriptive words than it is to pick out descriptive words for my loved ones, let me tell you. Yeah, I tend to be a little hard on myself sometimes, but this was an exercise is self affirmation. I picked words I thought people should see so they could learn a little bit about me when they read it. You can see artisan, yoga, beach, and fragile. I also included mermaid, artist, woman, peculiar, tender, loving, kind, grateful, wild, shy, divine, awesome, free, and effervescent to name a few more. I wanted to have something that reminded me that sometimes, even if I'm hard on myself, my loved ones see these words in me and that's what counts. It's a pick-my-up every time I wear it!

Right in line with including peculiar on my Self Portrait Bracelet, another strange thing I like to do is collect fortunes from fortune cookies. This is a nice thing to collect since you have to eat Chinese food to get them. Some perk, huh? Being gluten free hasn't stopped my collecting either. I just take the fortune and leave the cookie! 


Well, the down side is seeing how often in your life you eat Chinese food. I have a bucket (it's small!) full of fortune slips. My husband's jaw actually dropped when I brought it out of hiding. I had another bracelet plan. I rummaged through my many many fortunes and took my absolute favorites out for this project. 

I love fortune cookie slips!

Most of them are inspirational or thought provoking. Then there's the comic relief favorite: "Beware of cookies bearing fortunes." I love that one! This bracelet has 20 fortunes on the outside and 12 on the inside. It's my little reminder to always be mindful and live in the moment!

I'm still thinking about what I should do with the other blank bangle. I'm feeling colorful about it though. We'll see what happens!

DeLand 4th Friday Art Walk: Three Days to Go!

Love my supplies!

Wow! I can't believe the time has flown by so fast! It seems like yesterday when I was asked to participate as an exhibiting artist in the DeLand 4th Friday Art Walk...but it's been five weeks! The good news? I've gotten a lot of work done in those few short weeks and there will be five never-before-seen pieces to display! There's nothing like a looming deadline to get the juices flowing, is there?

excerpt of Wander, mixed media on canvas

Deadlines aren't my only inspiration, of course. I like finding inspiration in anything and everything. Some of my favorite muses are quotes. I follow a bevy of inspirational quote pages on Facebook, so I always have something passing through to read and get me thinking. I even keep a notebook close by to jot down my favorites!

One of my all time favorite quotes comes to us courtesy of J.R.R. Tolkien: Not all who wander are lost. I love to wander, so it's always encouraging to be reminded that sometimes, the detours I take might be a better path than the one I was following in the first place. In honor of this wonderful quote, I had to put it on canvas! Here's a sneak peek before Friday's exhibit. You'll have to come out to DeLand Friday evening to see the rest for now. Don't worry, if you aren't able to make it, I'll be posting pictures from the show as soon as I can. I promise!

I also get inspiration from contests. I was so excited about one local art contest, then I didn't get things finished in time to enter...but that doesn't mean I can't share the piece with you! A local art gallery in New Smyrna Beach held the contest. The theme was Bicycles and I had a blast coming up with this piece. OK, I'll give you a sneak peek...

excerpt of I Want to Ride My Bicycle, mixed media on canvas

Another wonderfully addictive source for inspiration is Pinterest. LORD, the hours I have spent pinning! It's shameful and there should really be a 12 step program... Yeah, it's that addictive.

Anyway, Happier is a piece inspired by a quote floating around on Pinterest: "Today, I will be happier than a bird with a french fry." Every time I hear or read that line, my heart smiles! Who hasn't been lucky enough to see a little bird discover a french fry he gets to have all to himself? It's the definition on happy!

excerpts of Happier, mixed media on canvas

My yoga practice also greatly inspires me, so there will me a few pieces on display any yogis in the crowd might appreciate. Sacred Centers is one of them...

excerpt of Sacred Centers, mixed media on vintage book page

These are just some of the pieces I'll have on display this weekend at the 4th Friday Art Walk in DeLand! I hope this has whet your appetite a little. By the way, I'm not the only artist, either! Make sure you plan to visit DeLand if you are in the Daytona Beach or Orlando areas this weekend because DeLand truly loves their Artist Community! My work will be on exhibit from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Got Knots on New York Avenue. (Get more info about the event here!) Come by and visit, sign up to win a free massage from the amazing Got Knots, then hit the Artist Alley for loads more awesome art and culture. You'll be glad you did!

On Following Your Bliss...

It's been a long time since I could say I was truly following my bliss. I think we all have that problem, especially as adults. We tend to lose our wild abandon and courage to follow our dreams as we grow; that's definitely something I have been guilty of doing for a while now. Well, no more! Change is afoot here in my little Florida apartment. I decided to jump and trust that my wings would show up. Since today is really the first part of that jump, I can't say I see my wings yet...but I think I feel them unfolding!

Best. Feeling. Ever.

Today was the first day in nearly a year that I got out my canvas and papers and got paint under my finger nails. It was pure bliss! There's nothing quite like splashing color, tearing paper, and doodling designs. It'd been so long, I was afraid I'd feel weird or not be able to get to what I felt needed to spill out onto the table. Turns out, creating is kind of like riding a bike. It might feel wobbly at first, but once you have it, you can't ever really lose it.

"Bliss" has meant a lot of different things to me in my life, but I now know that pure bliss is being right where you are supposed to be, present and experiencing your path in the moment. My path was wooded and overgrown for a while, but I reached a fork in the road and took Robert Frost's words to heart. I took the road less traveled. I followed my heart, and my art. I dug deep and found the courage to open a shop, but more importantly, to open up and truly find myself again through creating.

Pumpkin loves helping me paint!

I am blessed beyond belief to have a wonderfully supportive cheerleader in my husband, Rob. We talked for months and months about which road for me to choose, but in the end he supported my decision to walk away from my part time job to follow my art...where ever it may lead. That choice, coupled with his unfailing faith in me, has made me feel light as a feather today. I wish I could share that feeling with the whole planet! Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that quite yet. I did at least share it with my trusted muse a bit today, since Rob was at work. My babies (I have three!) are never far and always love seeing what I'm up to.

I felt super inspired today. My whole body was vibrating; I just I couldn't stop smiling. I guess that feeling came out! I'm excited about my new journey. I'm making a promise to myself to follow my own unique bliss and to trust myself, my path...and my brand new wings.