Weddings & Graduations

The end of May...I've been drawing lots of graduation items! This drawing is for a graduated headed off to college. I thought it would be fun to customize the colors for different schools. We also have had two wedding this spring. The first one was held in beautiful Charleston, SC and was absolutely lovely. The second is upcoming and sure to be just as beautiful.

Art In Hand - Charlotte Project

I participated in a project that you may see in cities across the country. Fifty-five local artists designed one card for a complete deck that was published and sold through retailers in Charlotte. I was the Ace of Clubs. Very cool idea. The proceeds from the sale of the art went to The Creative Art Exchange & The Children's Arts Project in Cornelius. We went to the Launch Party last weekend. All paintings were displayed at The Creative Art Exchange and there was a silent auction. My artwork was chosen to be auctioned at the live auction that also took place. What a fun experience and a worthwhile cause!

http://www.artinhandcards.com/index.html

Happy Easter!

Sunday is my youngest son's birthday. It's the first time in a while that it has fallen on Easter Sunday. It made me start thinking of birthday cakes and springtime. I saw these beautiful easter cupcakes and thought how cute they would be to do on his birthday. Whether or not I actually get that far is a whole different story. I'm creative, artistic but not especially 'crafty' which I guess people find surprising. It's that whole three-dimensional thing that gets me. Maybe I'm just uncoordinated. Anyway, these are beautiful and maybe I just might try to make them myself. http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/04/eye-candy.html

I do cook, but wouldn't call myself a baker. It's more fun to me to not have to measure, which just doesn't work when baking. I love to throw in fresh ingredients in a great sauce or pasta without the precision of baking. I did bring cupcakes to my son's school yesterday for his birthday. He told me several people said they didn't like the frosting - including him. Great. Next time I'll take them all pretty stationery instead.....http://cupcakesandcocktails.com/barefootcollection6.html

Snow Days & Oil Painting

It's snowed 4-5 inches here in NC last night. That's a lot for us, so my kids are out playing in the snow and I intend to spend the time painting. In addition to my whimsical pen and marker work for licensing and my stationery line I also paint in oils.I'm always on the lookout for artists whose styles I like. I found Robert Burridge in the Cheap Joe's Art Stuff catalog. Mr. Burridge is teaching a workshop in Asheville, NC that looks so fun. I love the looseness of his work as well as the vivid color. I'm trying to incorporate more color in my work (as you can see above) and he is an inspiration to me! It's also very cool that his fine art is not only in galleries, but on products such as Starbucks coffee mugs and Pearl vodka botttles.
http://www.robertburridge.com/

Campaign for Creativitiy

I saw this ad in Skirt magazine to 'join other artists in this creative movement' love it...the colors, the tagline 'live a life inspired. dream with possibility. check it out...
http://www.donnadowney.com

Food, Food, Food

I've had food on my mind all day. Well, although that is nothing unusual, today I'm thinking of food themed design collections. I went shopping with my mom recently and i saw lots of beautiful ceramics collections with culinary themes. I realized that I love to cook, love to eat, love Trader Joe's and Fresh Market & farmer's markets but have not food or cooking collections...so I'm off to work on that. Inspiration comes from the strangest places. I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime I think i need a snack.

Spring Flowers Toss

Here are some of the spring flowers in a toss repeat....

February - Is it spring yet?

As nice as the month of February is....I'm really looking forward to March and the spring weather that comes with it. Here in Charlotte we are spoiled, no doubt. We had a few 60-70 degree days last week and now I'm ready for spring to be here for good. This weekend the kids and I walked on one of the new greenways near our house, had a nice picnic along the way. The place was packed with bikers and runners and people out enjoying the beautiful weather and the nature trail. Of course, it was a tease as it is only supposed to be in the 50's today. I know, I know, I grew up in the midwest and a 50 degree day in February should be a good thing!

This spring fever has got me drawing lots of spring flowers lately. The picture is one from one of my newer collections.

CHA, Deborah Norville & Football

I was very pleased with the results of our tabletop display at the CHA Winter Show in Anaheim. I can't wait to see my artwork on rubber stamps & stickers! I hope to follow up with other representatives of companies I met at the show.

I also really enjoyed Deborah Norville's speech as the keynote speaker at the event. She was warm, informative and inspiring! I am not usually the 'groupie type' unlike my husband who spots sports figures every time we go to the airport. However, her speech was so inspirational that I bought her book, stood in line to get her to autograph it and then had my picture taken with her (which I will not be posting here as it is beautiful of her - not so flattering of me). She has accomplished a lot in her years and in addition to her television career now has a line of yarns and a knitting book. Who knew? Check out her website: http://www.dnorville.com/

Superbowl weekend. Well, we won't be watching our Carolina Panthers play this weekend. My brother is a die-hard Pittsburgh Steeler fan so in the spirit of competiton, I guess I'll cheer for the Cardinals! Mostly I'll be eating party food and watching the commercials.

January Shivers

Today I met with a couple of local artists to discuss a new art guild here in our community. I think it is a very exciting venture that is going to work out very well. I'll keep you posted.

A week away from the CHA show and I am getting to the final countdown! It's cold here for Charlotte and it is fun to have sunny California to look forward to - even if I am in a convention center the whole time!

Inspiration!

Found a new inspirational website. Love it, Love it!!!

Paint, Paint, Paint

I paint on Thursday mornings. Oils. It's therapeutic and so different from my Carolina Design Studios work. It's loose and free and fun. I love bold colors and texture and big canvases. I think it helps inspire creativity on a weekly basis! I'd love to paint more often but i don't seem to do it between all of the other things....

January - A Fresh Start?

January is a time of renewal and resolutions. Isn't it great that in such a dull, dreary time of year we choose to redirect our lives, stop and think about where we are going and where we have been? If we made New Year's resolutions in June, how much pondering would we really do? ( I personally would rather be out enjoying the beautiful weather, but winter forces us to take time to plan.)

We are off to a great start with plans for the CHA show in Anaheim. I've been busy putting final touches on my new collections. The above example is part of my coastal collection (copyright 2008 pamwingard). I'll have fresh new offerings for rubber stamps, scrapbooking and fabric, as well as a few tabletop ideas.

I'm also going to be teaching kids and adults through the local YMCA's brand new art program. The artists in the program are very excited about adding some more culture and creativity to this banking city!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope all had a pleasant and peaceful holiday season! I am rested and now busy preparing for the CHA show in January. I am very excited about the new offering of designs that will be perfect for stamps & scrapbooking! I've had so much fun coming up with fresh new color schemes and designs. Now I just need to spend some time in Adobe Photoshop preparing them for use in various products. Enjoy the last weekend of the holiday.