Leather Cuffs

I love the look of cuff bracelets. These leather cuffs were a lot of fun to decorate and I have made them available over in the etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/bradshawmeadows

https://www.etsy.com/shop/bradshawmeadows

Falling in love with my work again

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119191665/10x10-coffee-collage-ink-blue-red-lotus

I go through spells...sometimes i feel like i have a successful piece and sometimes i don't...it is just how this goes...
In recent weeks there have been those moments when i felt good about the work...Every artist knows what i'm talking about...that moment when you realize that the work your have created  actually makes you feel giddy...just like falling in love....For people who have never experienced this, it can seem a bit egotistical...i mean, really?  Your work makes you feel giddy?  How weird is that?  But, it does, when it is good...there is that level of creativity that is almost intoxicating and euphoric...and it happens when the work is complete...and in your gut...you know that it is good....and believe me, there is a lot of crap work that was created before the good, so when you finally make something that is successful...it is like Fireworks....

How does that happen?  i think it is the theory i have heard from the infamous Ira Glass about getting through the crap to the good stuff..and that quote i like by Andy Warhol and simply making stuff and letting other people decide if it is good... both said in a little different way to mean...

just keep going...

there is another one i like...

" just start, the results will happen...."

and sometimes, the result is to fall in love with your work again...and remember exactly why you are doing what you are doing...because let's face it...being an artist is hard work....it is gut-wrenching, brow beating, emotionally taxing, and with very little reward at times(monetarily and on the low end of the spectrum of respect from the general public)....so, when it does pay off even if it is just in the form of a successful creation...that is like hitting the lottery....and sometimes. that is enough....

"The price of anything ..."

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." ~Thoreau

i just wrote a tome about this and how grateful I am to be home today with my youngest as she is coughing and running fever...there was a time when this would have been impossible...I am grateful for my husband who feels as strongly as I do about being home with our kids...being there for them no matter the cost. I am grateful for the time with my children and to be able to take care of them and be there for them.

I especially think about this on days like today, almost a week after a dear, thoughtful friend sent me info about a job that i would love to have...involving working in an art studio as an assistant...in all honesty, it was a perfect job for me...and my heart lept in reading the job description...and then it fell again...because then reality set in...between the commute, and daycare...i would never see my children or even bring home much pay after the expense of commuting and daycare...i mulled it over for a moment...and the hardest part of saying "no" to the opportunity was the fear of my family suffering financially if i didn't jump for it...but when we weighed the pros and cons...what it comes down to is what you really need in life...and what we need, is each other...

Family is the most important thing...and as long as we are able to survive, together, that is all we need...

I erased the original tome i wrote because..well...it was just exhausting to read... detailing how difficult it was to be home with my child before when i was teaching...and every teacher with kids or any parent for that matter , with no babysitter or friends or family to help you, know what i mean...it sucks...

And with that, days like today make me want to work harder on the things that will actually be of benefit to my family...like teaching yoga...participating in art shows that work with our schedule and budget and working on my Etsy shop.

 I am grateful for the opportunities placed before and the ones on their way. I am grateful for this time with my youngest, especially on days like today when she feels so yucky...I am grateful i get to be here with her to bring her juice, give her medicine, cuddle and watch her favorite cartoons. This is a gift to be here with her. 

tomorrow is Cyber Monday....

So, Tomorrow is Cyber Monday!

 Please take a moment to browse through my Etsy shop. 

I have lots of cute prints and one-of-a-kind artwork that  make beautiful gifts! 

And if you don't find something that fits your fancy in http://www.etsy.com/shop/bradshawmeadows, please buy from another artisan or craftsperson. 

(When you buy from small business you are helping that artisan buy food, clothing, and shelter for their family.) 

Please support those you know, and those around you. 

You will know that your money is supporting real people with real lives in your community.

the significance of candy wrappers

There is nothing special about this candy wrapper...except that, it was beautiful...sitting there on my studio table...as my youngest crawled between my feet and peered out the window to wave at the flowers and the rabbits that think they are sneaking through my yard....

Sometimes...it is the ordinary things that are the most beautiful...the most captivating...the most monumental...

Candy wrappers...and pretty crinkles...light reflections..smiles and giggles...

(this painting was included in the etsy treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzE5MTc4OHwyNzIwNDg1MTk1/dear-etsy-this-treasury)

What does it mean "to live?"

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." ~ Oscar Wilde

For the Love of Lotus treasury

My "Namaste Blue Lotus" Has been featured in a beautiful treasury called "for the love of lotus" and can be found at the following link.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAxNjY1Mjd8MjcyMzAyOTQ3MA/for-the-love-of-lotus

This piece is a watercolor that started out with drops of my morning coffee...that's right...coffee...i love painting with coffee and tea. The rich browns that come from the liquid are very spiritual for me. After the coffee dies, i used  water soluble graphite to draw the lotus, and then applied water and a touch of blue watercolor.

The Lotus is a form or strength and hope. A symbol of beauty that pushes through the muddy waters to face the sun above. When the world seems harsh, i just think of the lotus...and it gives me the reminder, the inspiration, to push through the mud and face the sun.

you can find other works of inspiration in my etsy shop

Lotus Healing Hand

This morning I had a lovely surprise. My piece "Lotus Healing Hands" was included in a beautiful treasure on Etsy. It always makes my heart leap a little when my artwork is included in a treasury on Etsy. This morning, is no different. 

(the treasury can be found at this link!) http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA2MTA5OTR8MjcyMzAxNTIwNg/just-you

https://www.etsy.com/listing/68702296/yoga-lotus-healing-hand?ref=tre-2723015206-10

This pieces was included in a lovely treasury named "Just You...."

I love the warmth and comfort of the collection. It is almost like you are looking at a melancholy indie film. (redundant description I suppose lol)

The story behind "Lotus Healing Hand":  In the last year i have been on a journey. (like so many people at midlife) In the spring of 2011, i just felt 'compelled', for lack of a better word, to start painting a collection of Lotuses. There is something very meditative about the process for me. The lotus is a simple form to create, but it's simplicity is was makes it so beautiful to me. I really had no connection with the imagery of the Lotus until that spring. It seemed that it was a symbol that i needed to investigate more. AS i read about the lotus, the idea of how it symbolizes resilience, courage, enlightenment, and the triumph of purpose  really struck a chord with me. In nature, the lotus, pushes through the muddy water to eventually rise above it and open up to the sun. I love this. I love the idea of rising above the darkness to choose to face the sun. The inclusion of the hand is also a symbol I have felt compelled to use for several years. The hand is a symbol of connection, of healing, of giving.  

When i look at this piece,my thought is that this will connect with someone who is also in transition in their lives and that this artwork will be a reminder that they too can rise above any muddy waters they  might be trudging through to reach their bright shiny place in the sun.

"lotus healing hand"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/68702296/yoga-lotus-healing-hand?ref=tre-2723015206-10 https://www.etsy.com/listing/68702296/yoga-lotus-healing-hand?ref=tre-2723015206-10  

Life is a Bowl of Cherries Second Version

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

This is the second version of "life is a bowl of cherries" in the new print line in my Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

life is a bowl of....

It is cherry season...do yourself a favor...go get some NOW!...well, after you read my post...
( seriously..dude)

The kidlets and I stocked up on the cherry sale going on at our favorite grocer. The youngest has developed a taste for "beh-wees" and so when she saw these, naturally they fell into the same grouping...and as a result, Ii have grown quite fond of the cherry pitter device my husband purchased years ago that i rarely used UNTIL THIS WEEK...

This morning, our family is chilling out...spending time together, simply "being"....a little cartoons, some books being read while lounging on the couch,  the dog snoozing, me enjoying a cup of tea with honey and cream, the dog snoozing...and a bowl of cherries for all to enjoy...


i realized...ya know?... life really is a bowl of cherries, isn't it?...




i know, cliche'....but i don't care... in choosing to see the joy in every moment we have together, the cherries are the most beautiful i have ever seen...

i love everything about them...

I love how my lil' one giggles when she eats them.
I love how the boy  laughs when we are pitting them and the seed shoots across the room sometimes.
I love how cherries are naturally heart-shaped and red..like valentines..and obvious signs of love.
I love how my family is content to simply "be" in the same room and not have to be in a nervous state of constant need for entertainment...

As i finish typing this,( it takes me a bit sometimes) we have all scattered about the house...taking naps has begun...

I have carved up a new block print inspired by the cherries...

And i hope it inspires you, to remember...to CHOOSE to remember, that Life really IS a bowl of cherries...

Namaste Yoga Lotus print line

available in my etsy shop!

mid-life art crisis

so, the last year i have been making  art (?)...lets just call it 'shtuff'...and posting it on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/bradshawmeadows?ref=si_shop like so many people...sold a few pieces....but not much....and it is very disheartening...

but the real thing that kicks me in the gut...is that i know i'm not making what i really want to make....

it's true...

the last year has pretty much been me just trying to make stuff for the sake of making stuff...and trying to make stuff that seemed more commercial than what i really enjoy making.....

i spread all of my artwork from the years...(that i still have...i lost alot along the way in several moves) and tried to pic out what is consistent....tried to find something that made it look like MY work....

i hate to say, i'm not sure i can find anything...some people's work you can look at it and KNOW whose it is....


they have their "thing" that they do....

i can't figure out what mine is....seriously...i can't....

so that is my goal....to figure out WTH my "thing" is as an artist....

i mean the fact is....i can copy other artists work just like the rest of them...but, i don't want to....iand i can talk smack just like alot of the young pups that seem to be talking smack to get recognized....but why would i want to do that too?...

when it comes down to it...i just want to be genuine in my artwork again...there was a period of time when i felt the freedom to do that...and now i need to get back to that again....

Birdie in a great Etsy treasury!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA5Mzk0MDB8NDE3OTIxMjc4/cant-look-away

Featured in another beautiful treasury!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTA0MTUyM3w0MTgzMDA5NzM/its-for-evergreen

Spring Showers

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73572258/spring-showers

cherry blossom notecards

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73454078/cherry-blossom-stationary

                                                            Cherry Blossom Notecards

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73127009/white-butterfly-of-life

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73127009/white-butterfly-of-life

This really is a fulltime job

so, I'm learning alot right now.... I'm doing all kinds of research on how to sell my work online...the pros and cons....how to make my ETSY shop something people will look at...how to advertise without losing friends...lol..which, if you are reading this...THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE....

This week, i have been focusing on the look of the Etsy Shop...and took Friday as a full day of computer time...i have to make myself really devote time to this,because despite my enjoyment of FB and twitter...those of easily executed from my phone...and i can multi-task like nobody's bidness...

But,i have to make myself really do the other stuff...like, make a banner for the Etsy Shop....

now this was my first REAL try....it's OK....and it will do for now...but i foresee some changes in the near future...now that i know more about what i am doing...and how to make my banner...and now that i have figured out how to do it, i have alot of bigger and better ideas rolling around in my noggin...

but here it is!