My November Cigar Box Decoupage Addiction

Other than my calendar I have been working on a bunch of cigar box decoupage pieces.  All of this artwork is decoupaged on some part of a cigar box- some are lids and others are the box part.  I LOVE the results.  The colors are even more fabulous in real life, but that's how it always is.  I am going to post some of these pieces in my Etsy shop for $95.  As of right now they are all available.  If you see a particular "Kaegi" original that you would like to add to your collection, please contact me and I will reserve the piece.

From the Shop of Painted Fish Studio

Last year Jen of Painted Fish Studio came to visit and brought some of her goods to sell at my local street fair.  One of her "Hello Journals" was bought by my daughter, who as you can see, has given it a lot of love.  People always show pictures of new products, and I love the idea of the untouched, but even more, I like to see what has transpired with the item sold.  Where is it sitting? Does it make the owner think of the creator?  Does it put a smile on someone's face?  When an owner of one of my artworks tells me how happy they are to see it in their house every day, it puts a smile on my face.  There is nothing better than passing a little goodness on to another person.

There are a couple of reasons why I bring this up.  Jen has brought a lot of goodness and inspiration into my life and I love to catch up with her during her "twice a year NYC pilgrimages".  She and I tour the city well.  Walk and shop a little, sit for lunch and wine, walk and talk a little more, and then oh you've guessed it, another glass of wine.  NYC is a good place for that kind of tour considering there is a bar on every corner.

Recently while drinking one of these glasses of wine Jen asked, so how's the calendar going? I told her it wasn't, but I realized that I HAD TO DO IT.  And she's one of the biggest reasons why.  To honor that well needed kick in the butt, I wanted to drop a hint about Jen's creations, and her shop, and how wonderful it is to find just the right gift for a special loved one, especially one who likes paper products.  She's put a smile in my life, let her put a smile in yours:)

How to Draw Yorkies

How to Draw Yorkies -- powered by ehow

Pure Potentiality 2012 Calendar and AEDM 4-30

YAY!  I have been so busy this year and had decided not to do my annual calendar, until people started coming out of the woodwork asking "How's you're calendar going?".  The first person who had asked I could shrug off, but after the fifth or sixth person, I knew people were expecting it and I couldn't disappoint.  Well here it is, the best yet.  If you would like to order, please contact me personally via email or phone- pkaegi at gmail dot com or click the icon on the side of the blog and it will take you to Paypal.  There are two choices- a letter sized calendar on heavy glossy paper that when open measures 11"x17" for the price of $20 and a large size on linen paper that is 13.5"x19 for the price of $35.  I will be sending the calendars out late next week (around December 10th), so if you order now, expect them mid month.  If the calendar is a gift, please tell me and I will wrap it and include a note for the recipient.  All of the above paintings are 9.5"x11.5" gouache on paper  and they are for sale for $175 each.  If you would like to invest in one of these original artworks, please contact me.  January (Girl on Bike), February, (Birthday at Red Bow), June (Weiss Stock), September (Beach Scene), November (Bridge Lessons), and December (Black Lab) have already been sold.

Art Every Day #4 (Friday)

I was showing some of my students (1st graders) my sketchbook, and once they saw the the chibi characters, they wanted to learn how to draw them.  So chibitime began, and let me tell you, some of the children drew them all weekend long (like my daughter- I woke up Sunday morning to find a table full of chibis and it makes me so excited that she retained so much of the information!).  So one of my creative outflows for Friday was teaching students chibi characters that they ADORE! And of course, my results above, which now hang in the front door of the studio.  Below are some of my daughter's chibis.

ART EVERY DAY # 1,2,&3

 Well, I'm back (at least for now;)  I am going to try to participate as best I can in Art Every Day Month masterminded by Leah Piken Kolidas.  I hopped on that train at the last minute, and my biggest challenge isn't creating, but actually posting pictures of the dang things... I mean lovely creations of course.  So the above is AEDM#1- sketches that I did to prepare for a How to Draw video for eHOW.  I tape thirty videos in one session, so I like to sketch out all my drawings beforehand.  I had no clue what a chibi was, but now I do (as shown above).  I would post the video so you can see that I actually completed it, but it's not out yet.

Above is AEDM#2...in the midst of everything else, I've been working on 23 cigar box creations and I finished gluing my last one yesterday.  Now I get to go back to them all and add my acrylic touches.  I'm sure I will post more on this as it is consuming 25% of my life (a lot).

Last, but not least AEDM#3, A SKETCHBOOK!  (Do you hear the angels singing in the background?)  It's because I finished it, finally.  I bind all my sketchbooks because I am a particular about my paper (Ever tried using watercolor on paper in a sketchbook with drawing paper?- YUCK.  And even worse, purchasing a watercolor sketchbook for $25 and getting 10 pages? Double yuck.  So I bind my own.)  I love binding my sketchbooks, because it has two meanings, letting go of my previous sketchbook- a chapter closed, but not forgotten, and a opening a new sketchbook- a whole new world of possibilities.  The above is for my friend Holly on the west coast, and she's been waiting for it since May.  I can't wait to see her possibilities when I visit her over Thanksgiving!!

Now for my pledge- I PROMISE TO TRY TO POST MY AEDMs IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER, BUT PLEASE, DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH!

The Sketchbook Project

 At the end of 2010 I participated in the Sketchbook Project with a group of women in my Tuesday Night Art Journaling class at Red Bow Studio.  Each sketchbook is given a theme, and ours was "It's Raining Dogs and Cats".  We acquired our sketchbook at the end of the year, with not much time to fill it, but I have to say that everyone put in a good effort, and we had a lot to show for it.  I'm really happy with ours.  All pages are original works, which we are proud of.   Above and below are some of my pages.  If you'd like to see more visit here.

And the 2011 OWOH winners are...

Hello all!  Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment on my OWOH post.  I hope that you all had a wonderful trip through the blogosphere.
This morning I rolled out of bed, immediately went to Random.org and picked three numbers...Well maybe I had coffee first, but I illustrated the numbers and the winners are...
43)Bonnie of Nanbon's Corner
49)Janna of Palimpa Lim
80)Debra of It's All Good
Congratulations!
And a HUGE thank you to Lisa Swifka of a Whimsical Bohemian for putting together such a wonderful event.

OWOH 2011 Let's Celebrate!

 

 Thank you for stopping by my small corner of the universe.  I am an artist living in Sea Cliff, New York, and this is the second time I have participated in OWOH.  One World One Heart is a blogging bonanza masterminded by the wonderful Lisa Swifka of A Whimsical Bohemian.  It was created so that blogging artists and creative types could meet from all around the world.

I had such a blast last year flying on my magic carpet around the world meeting so many new and fabulous people that I'm so glad to be back!  I have been in a blogging slump, so I hope I can fly away on the wings of OWOH, back to weekly postings!

So...since last year's OWOH so much has happened in my life.
1.  The biggest event is that I started my own business and I opened up my own Artist's Teaching Studio in Sea Cliff, NY.  This has really filled my schedule up with new and wonderful people and ideas.  
2. I've gone to 3 weddings.
3. I've finished another calendar.
4. I've sent my oldest daughter to kindergarten.
5. I've seen more snow in NY state since 1920. (There's a mountain in front of my house!)
6. I've lived in my house for more than a year now!


My best and worst moment in 2010 was realizing my dream of a business- it's not easy!!  So much to be proud of, but so much stress.

This year I am again giving away 3 of my 2011 calendars.  It is a 12 month calendar filled with my artwork.  I know you will get it a month late, but it will still be with you for 11 glorious 2011 months and it comes with good luck (at least that's what people say;)

Please leave a comment and tell me where you're from.  I'd love to hear about your best moment of 2010 (but it's not required, just fodder for a fun comment).  Make sure I can contact you if you win!!  I will use the random number picker to find my winners on February 17th.  Anyone is welcome to leave a comment.

Enjoy your travels!  Patricia