Shari Beaubien

Happiness Is...

My brand new Nurit 3010  credit card machine!

This little baby is a HUGE improvement over the old method of credit acceptance.  Up until now, I've been limping along low-tech-style with a knuckle-buster machine and slips that required me to get more information than you'd need to supply if visiting the president.  Now, one quick swipe and nearly all of the information is recorded electronically.  A receipt prints out on thermal paper which requires no ink.  It's AWESOME!  My life just got a lot easier during art fairs.  Woo hoo!

And here's a shot of the final heart, complete with it's graphite embellishment.  (See the other two here.)  I like that each of the three has such a different design, yet they all involve curves and circles in some form.  I hope to do some more work on this canvas today...

A Thrilling Announcement!

Remember those four new canvases I posted yesterday?  Well, they are on their way to MY NEW GALLERY!!! Woo hoo!!

I am so very proud to announce that I am now being represented by the most delightful little gallery in Rocky River, Ohio.  It's called Papercuts & Gluesticks and is owned by the illustrious Kari Sanford.  Be sure to check out her website and blog if you have a moment.  Kari is such a sweetheart, and she has so many cool things in the works.  I'm wishing I lived in Ohio right about now!  (Except I need my sun.  That might not work in the winter..)

At any rate, let me just tell you all how grateful I am to be a part of Kari's gallery.  If you happen to be in the greater Cleveland area, do stop by for a visit.  Be sure to tell her I sent you.  And if you're interested in ordering anything from Papercuts & Gluesticks over the phone, Kari will be happy to hear from you at: (440) 799-4344.

New Work

Below are a few canvases that I posted about here
and have just finished up...

"Passion"
8" x 10"

"Home"
8" x 10"

"Grow"
8" x 10"

"Dream"
8" x 10"

As I was working on these canvases, I simultaneously created the covers to those handmade journals I showed you in progress here.  The images for the journals are nearly identical to what you see pictured above.  With the black background of the journal cover to frame the artwork, they look pretty stunning, if I do say so myself!

This Made My Day...

My work is featured on the Inspirational blog! 
Check it out here.

Thank you, Peggi!!

More Progress...

Remember this post and the spatter paint?
Well, here's how the larger canvas (30" x 30") is developing...

I painted three large white hearts in the red/orange section of the canvas.  I expected that they would be bold and need some sort of "toning down"...

My solution was to doodle right on top of the acrylic using graphite.  I've never done this much drawn detail work on a piece before, but I really like the result.  Plus, it's been a lot of fun!

Here is the second heart with the graphite added.

And this is the way the entire canvas looks so far.  The house might look familiar to you.  It's a rendition of "home" that I've played with several times on smaller pieces.  For a while now I've been wanting to incorporate it into a much larger artwork.  This one isn't finished yet, but I'm really happy with the way it's coming together.

Frida Kahlo in San Francisco!

Frida Kahlo has long been a HUGE influence on my work.  It's true that the very first book I owned featuring her artwork scared me so much that I kept it in the garage for weeks.  It wasn't until I came to know and understand a bit of this incredibly courageous woman that I realized what she had chosen to convey.  Intriguing and intensely personal, her paintings speak to me on a level deep within my soul.

For this and many other reasons, I am absolutely THRILLED about an upcoming retrospective of Frida's artwork at the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  It will run from Saturday, June 14 through Sunday, September 28 and promises to feature some 45 pieces of her artwork along with photographs from her personal collection.  One of the co-curators is none other than Hayden Herrera, who has written several incredibly comprehensive books about Frida and is, in my humble opinion, a bonafide authority on her art and life.

I do hope if you are anywhere near the west coast during these dates, that you'll go and see what promises to be an incredible exhibit.  While you're there, you can even stop by to see where Frida and Diego lived for the years they were in this incredible city.   (See this post for my own experience.)

Greeting Card Sets!

I finished the greeting card sets of my latest Soul Sketches series!  I really love the way they look as a grouping... like they were meant to be, don't you think?  They're available now in my Etsy Shop.

This little book is a find from this weekend.  Steve, Bentley and I visited the Glendale swap meet and I discovered this gem from 1930 for just five bucks!  It has a lot of beautifully-written prose in it, which I plan to use for collage.

In other news, it seems my mailbox had been sprinkled with magic powder as of late because I've been getting so many "You're accepted!" notices that it doesn't even seem real!  Boy, does that feel good.  And scary.  It's going to be a busy spring/summer for me.

I've updated both my website and blog (left sidebar) with all of the pertinent information.  My newsletter will also contain the very latest info. on where you can find me.  That should be making it's way to your in-boxes in the next week or two.  Don't forget to sign up if you haven't already!  Subscribers will be privy to special deals created just for them.  (Just click "subscribe" in my right sidebar.)

Crawling My Way Back

I'm feeling better today.  Actually, a lot better.  I don't think I've had a migraine that bad or that long ever.  I think all of your kind get well wishes helped hasten the progress though.  I really do.  Thank you.

Remember these canvases?  I showed them to you just before I went to Vegas.  Well, I had worked on them a bit before I left and then a bit more when I came home but before I got really sick.

And I actually painted a bit yesterday, which felt good.

Here's a close-up shot of the big one.  It's 30" x 30".  I've been playing a lot with spatter-painting and I'm diggin' the effect.

This is one of the smaller 8" x 10" canvases from the first picture, plus a few pieces of water color paper on top.  (The water color paper is destined to become journal covers.)  You can see my newfound zest for spattering again here, spread over an already fairly developed background.

The goal is for all of these works to have a folk art-type feel.  I plan to paint large, simple images over the backgrounds.  I'll keep you updated.

Even though most of this work I did prior to getting sidelined with the migraine and head cold, it still felt good to do something yesterday.  I'm just about the worst patient because it's so hard for me to just sit there.  Spending some quiet time with my paint brush in hand turned out to be better than any pill.

I Can't Deny It Anymore

Well... I spent a good four days denying that I was getting sick.  Then there were two more days where I kept insisting to myself that it was just a "tiny chest cold".  Alas, that moved into my head and I can't deny it anymore.  I am sick.  Sniffly, runny nose, coughing, sneezing sick.

Add to that the arrival of my dear friend the migraine yesterday afternoon and you can imagine what life has been like.  Oddly enough, my migraine medicine seems to have treated most of the symptoms of my head cold.  Now instead of the head-full-of-fluid feeling I only have the head-about-to-explode feeling to contend with.  Thank heaven for small favors, right?

That brings me to the point of this post.  I'm sorry I don't have much of anything in the way of art to share with you.  I haven't lifted one art supply this week.  Not a one.  Bear with me as I crawl back into bed to wait this out.  Next week will be better, I promise.  I do thank you for all of your kind and enthusiastic comments about Monday's post.  They are so very much appreciated.

At Long Last

Remember these paintings?  Well, at long last, I'm thrilled to show you the finished versions.

Each measures 9" x 12" and is a sort of "subset" to my Soul Sketches series.  (If you're interested, my entire Soul Sketches series can be found here.)

And now, without further ado, here they are...

"Reverie"

"Acceptance"

"Release"

"Hope"

"Surrender"

If you're interested in purchasing any of the originals, please email me privately.  (They are priced at $160.)  I'm hoping to have prints available in my Etsy shop later today.  I also plan to have a set of five gift cards available for sale containing one of each image.  These should be in my Etsy shop later this week.  Just an FYI, the prints and cards will both be cropped so that the image of the girl appears larger.

I hope you've enjoyed taking this journey with me!  I've certainly enjoyed being able to share my process with you...

Just a Bit More

Remember this tease before I left for Vegas?

Well, wait no more!  Here's the finished piece, "Just a Bit More," in all of its glory.  I love the sweetness of the bird and the way the colors vibrate against one another.  This artwork measures 8" x 10" and is available in my Etsy shop right now.  The title is purposely rather vague because I'd like the viewer to bring their own interpretation to the piece.  Steve insists it means just a bit more birdseed.  What do you think?...

Hope you all have great weekends planned.  I could really get into these two-day work weeks!

Home Again

Steve and I had SUCH a wonderful time in Vegas.  I swear, it's one of my very favorite places in the world to be.  We don't even gamble!  But there's so much to see and do there, I completely enjoy immersing myself in all of it.

These shots were taken at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden in The Mirage.  Those cats are simply amazing!  Males can weigh up to 570 pounds, yet they move and act exactly like my two six and nine-pound versions, Audrey and Montgomery.

After this visit, my camera battery promptly died and we couldn't find another.  Ugh!  I'm sorry, Lori!  I wanted to show you all some pictures of our GLORIOUS room at The Palazzo, Vegas's newest hotel.  Alas, it wasn't to be.  Perhaps you'll settle for the professional shots found here.  Staying at The Palazzo was being treated like royalty...  such a treat.

You might not realize that Las Vegas also has some really great museums.  We visited an American Modernism exhibit at The Bellagio featuring a number of really incredible works by Georgia O'Keeffe and others.  In addition, we went to the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum at The Venetian which had a show on Modern Masters.  We were able to see works by Van Gogh, Modigliani, Monet, Picasso, Manet, Cezanne, and many more.  It was wonderful!  I love these museums so much because the collections are relatively small but they are the creme of the crop and really pack a punch.  Each has an audio tour and is easy to complete in an hour or two.

We also saw Mystere, which is the show by Cirque du Soleil at Treasure Island.  I love the Cirque shows because they always inspire me tremendously in my work, and this one did not disappoint.  In addition, we spent an evening with Tom Jones who was TOTALLY awesome!  What a voice.  In person, both he and his voice are larger-than-life.  Truly.  And sorry Linda... I didn't throw any panties, although some women threw sparkley cowboy hats during "You Can Leave Your Hat On."

All in all it was an amazing trip with a lot of activity.  Most of all, though, I'm just grateful for my travel partner.  How did I get so lucky to be married to such a kind, compassionate, gentle man?  You transcend EVERY dream I ever had as a little girl, honey, and I love you with all of my heart.

Viva Las Vegas!

Steve and I are off to Vegas for a bit and I can't WAIT!  Why is it that in the days leading up to a vacation, it seems you've never needed to get away more?  I'll be back online the middle of next week.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a little tease...

Here's a fragment of a really sweet piece I just finished, if I do say so myself.  It's 8" x 10" and I'm going to post it in my Etsy store as soon as I return.

Have a great week/weekend, everyone!

I've Been Busy!

Here's what I worked on yesterday...

I got the journal covers and spines painted and attached.  (The pages are just sitting inside - still haven't sewn them in yet.)  You can see two of the ten there in the lower right corner.  Those papers drying on top of the cottage cheese containers are the preliminary stages of what will become the cover artwork.  They are watercolor paper that I collaged with various scraps.

I also gessoed this large square 30" x 30" canvas and then subsequently completed the collage work on it.  The four smaller canvases are 8" x 10" and they already had most of the collage completed.  There were a couple of pieces I didn't like though, so I redid part of those.  Here they are drying in our glorious Southern California sun.

I hope you're not getting confused by the seeming randomness of what I post.  I haven't forgotten about those five canvases I've been developing these past few weeks.  They're finished, actually - just waiting for me to scan and Photoshop them so that I can show you.

When I work, this is exactly how it happens.  I have a multitude of projects going on all at once.  For instance, right now I have the five Soul Sketches I've been showing you lately, the items from this post, another 10" x 20" Soul Sketch which is halfway completed, and that canvas I've been working on periodically with the letters I wrote to my little girl.  Such is my life.  Perhaps it's my short attention span, but I like the diversity and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here's a close-up of the larger canvas from above...

This might seem like a ton of work, and it is.  (I told you I've been busy!)  I've just been in a really introverted place this week - sort of wanting to keep to myself as I quietly pass the hours.  I don't mind it and I'm getting a lot accomplished.  I guess that's one of the things I love most about being an artist:  I cherish my solitude.  This week it happens to be intensely so.

Some Juice

My friend Linda and I made a trade - one of my 8"x10" paintings for one of hers.  This is the one I now own, compliments of Linda.  Isn't it fabulous!?!? 

This wonderful little piece serves not only as a reminder of an incredible friendship but that I should eat/drink healthfully as well.  Bonus!  Be sure to check out Linda's blog  and Etsy store.  In addition to sweet renditions of kitchen fare, she also paints some pretty amazing dogs and abstracts, too.

Yesterday unfolded in typical fashion for me.  I'm making a journal for my niece.  Well, I had a lot of parent-sized 140# paper leftover from one of my classes.  I decided to tear that down for the pages.  It's nice and sturdy and is great for either writing or art-making.  So... I decided to just tear down *all* the paper thinking that if I had extra, I'd make another journal for sale on Etsy.  Well, I guess my estimation skills are a bit off.  That paper is enough to fill TEN journals!  So I spent most of yesterday cutting chipboard for the covers and folding a crazy amount of paper.  Geez.