Brenda Pinnick -news, ideas, events and more...

What are friends for?

Friends build you up, they support you, they shine a light on your good qualities while looking past your not so good ones. They know that by building you up it doesn't take anything away from them.

Meet my good friend, Samantha Walker... She invited me to a special feature on her blog today, highlighting my brand new kits going on air on HSN on Tuesday at 2 am and Noon. Samantha also designs fabrics, scrapbook kits, stamps - just like I do. Go take a look on her blog at her wonderful designs, she's a terrific designer and an wonderful person besides! 

Her fabric lines are with Riley Blake, her paper collections, Creative Imaginations, her diecuts, Spellbinders. 

 

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NEW WORK!

Poppies # 2

This is a recently finished painting I did from my ongoing series of poppies. It's 24" x 48" , acrylic on canvas. You can read more about it on ColorCafe, my other blog which is all about highlighting artists & designers and how they use color in their work. Sometimes I show my own work but mostly it's about shining the light on others. If you or someone you know would like to be featured, I'd love to hear from you or them.

Thanks for visiting!

don't you just hate it when...

you're driving along some road and you see the most incredible scene - but- it's impossible to stop to photograph it or even to slow down so you can enjoy it for a few seconds longer? read on...

Brenda Pinnick-oil on canvas- plein air painting, 9"x12" ©2009

My winding country road dead-ends at a main cross country road which people fly down during their commutes to work. My road also ends at the bottom of two hills so you have to be extra careful pulling out.

When I reach the end of my road, directly across from it is a very large pasture area where white cows roam. It's embellished with a couple of really old small structures, sort of like a single stable. Maybe it's a cattle scale from years gone by. Anyway, the pasture is a gently rolling one with a stream running through it and some small clustures of trees. On any given day, it is a lovely view.

TODAY, however, it was spectacular! It turned really cold here in GA and there was the thickest layer of frost I think I've ever seen. The sun was still low since it was only 8:30 a.m. so it lit the frost up so it looked like diamonds had dropped all over the field, creating a tremendous brilliance. But in addition to that, there was the strangest fog which seemed to start at about 30 feet off the ground, but the sun was shining through it, giving it a surreal effect. Then add to that the white cows which are always beautiful when the sun shines on them.... 

It was breathtaking! It's one of those scenes no-one could paint. If they tried, it would seem trite, like one of those paintings by that guy...you know, what's his name...

The image is burned in my brain and I hope to never loose it. 

I hope you found beauty somewhere today. Sometimes it's just down the road.

Final day!

For those of you who have been participating in my daily card making, giveaway week, today it your last chance to make sure you've posted on EACH DAY, on BOTH BLOGS in order to be eligible to win the 

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From Faber-Castell-  Red, Yellow, Green and Blue Mixed Media Samplers, Red/Yellow & Blue/Green Gelatos, Red/Yellow & Blue/Green Writing Sets. In other words, THE WHOLE ENCILLADA! What a terrific prize from the genius minds of the Faber Castell team! 

And from me, a place to put all that amazing product to work - The winner will receive a full admission into my upcoming webinar workshop series, beginning in January, 2012! I've decided to finally, after being asked over and over, to create on-line workshops for my BRENDA PINNICK COLOR U, so 2012 is the beginning of my on-line teaching program! If you are the winner, you will be mailed a certificate with your admission information. 

The first workshop series is a combination of color exploration and learning done in mixed media format, using a variety of both art and craft materials. The series will be done in 8 sessions, available for viewing at your convenience! These lessons are both fun and educational and you will NEVER LOOK AT COLOR IN THE SAME WAY AGAIN - I promise! With my fine art and design education and years of professional experience, I am ready to share techniques and knowledge you can't get just anywhere AND, I make it FUN! Yes, you could buy tons of books, spend hours reading and practicing and, even take college level classes to gain the knowledge I'm ready to share, but wouldn't you rather enjoy learning while having fun creating? 

If you didn't win and would like to know more about this exciting series debut, please join my mailing list and everything you need to know will be in your in-box soon! ( dear hubby...Christmas gift idea...)

Thank you for joining us over the last week and tomorrow morning, before noon est., the grand prize winner will be announced. So- if you haven't already done so, go back into each day's post, on both blogs and leave your comments, answering the question posed for that day.

See you tomorrow!

Day two card and giveaway with Faber Castell DMC!

Here we are on day two of our 7 day giveaway/card making week.

Business first!! Yesterday's winner is Nelly! shoot me an email Nelly so I can get your mailing info. brenda@brendapinnick.com

Here's today's card made with one of my stamps from the Piccadilly Square Collection and Gelatos, plus spray textile paint from Tulip.

Step outs below... 

 

In step one, you'll see I used watercolor paper, a paper doilly and the Tulip brand textile paint in a spray bottle to create a stenciled textural design. 

Next, I cut the paper into 2" strips, lined them up side by side and stamped using my Piccadilly Square Stamp and a black Gelato. I stamped randomly, turning the stamp sideways for some and upright for others. Notice I overlapped the design onto different pieces. When the Gelato was dry enough, I then cut the strips into 2" squares. Taking a light blue Gelato, I accented the edges just a bit to create "pop".

Finally, I choose which of the squares I wanted to use then glued them onto a 5x5 card base, choosing a hue which would compliment but not compete with the design.

Final step- I used a square of fabric from my Couleur Vie collection with Henry Glass and Fiskars pinking shears to add on final touch. I glued it onto the back side of the card so you can still see it when the card is open. I generally like to add my sentiments on the inside to allow the outside become a mini art piece - nice for displaying. I also sign the back personally, proving it's handmade! ; )

Today's prize is - Choose two prints from my Etsy store!

Now answer today's question: Go take a look in your closet and report back- do the colors in your closet vary greatly or do they lean towards one particular hue or palette?

Answer the question here and then go to Design Memory Craft blog and post your response there also. In the end, there will be a grand prize which you can win only if you comment on each day's question, on both blogs.

 

You may have noticed...

My official, paid for, custom designed blog and website randomly disappeared a few weeks ago. With no warning, Wordpress highjacked it because I choose not to update to the latest WP version due to my fear it would totally mess up my custom design. So, they placed a disable code into the html. The WILL restore it if - I agree to update and I PAY THEM a restoration fee of $50.00. 

NO WARNING. just poof! gone. No apologies, no pity, no consideration that it is a business site. I cannot access my blog posts to repost here on Typepad. So, while we are figuring this whole thing out, I've redirected my www.brendapinnick.com to this site. I may just stay here... I would like to get my content back but the whole $50. to do so does not sit pretty with me at all. In fact, it makes me very, very angry with WordPress. I think they've gotten WAAAAAAAAY to big for their britches as my Mom used to say. So, if you are blogging or webhosting with a WP format - beware. ( I have always loved Typepad but wanted my site and blog together in one place so agreed to WP as the format ).

Here is a video I posted on the old blog. It wasn't necessarily done as a teaching class. I made it mainly to show my artist friends what I had discovered while trying a new product by mixing it in with existing work. There was a snarky comment left on youtube which reflected an attitude of entitlement to free information. Not all videos posted on youtube are meant to be a free class....hmmmmph. Anyway, if you enjoy this, please comment. thanks!

Mermaid Painting

I drove down to Destin last week for some fun in the sun and hanging out with my friend Phyllis Dobbs. She has a condo right at the beach and it was perfect weather for a visit to Florida. The beaches weren't crowded, the water was still warm and the temperature was low to mid 80º - perfect!

Her condo is decorated really cute and colorful, just like a vacation home on the beach should be! There was one wall in the guest bedroom that was just calling my name so I asked her if she would trust me to paint something fun. The size and shape of the wall were perfect for a figure so what else would I paint than a mermaid?!

I used Plaid paints purchased from a quick trip to the store and penciled her in quite quickly. This painting took me about 3 1/2 hours and is about 4 1/2' tall. I think she turned out nicely, I'm happy with her and Phyllis loves it! I had forgotten how much fun it is to work large scale and to paint directly on walls. I'm inspired to do some more of this type of work, starting in my own home. I've got some ideas for a weird little wall at the stair landing which faces a hallway but first have to meet some hot Sizzix deadlines and get my new art off to my agents. The hard part about creating art with real paint is having to clean it up in the computer. I need to learn not to zoom in to look at every single pixel- that would be a good start!

 

finding balance

A recent discussion of late, among my art licensing friends has been about the quest of seeking balance in our efforts to run our businesses. With social networking an absolute must for building our brands, we are all struggling with finding (making) time to actual do what our business is all about- making art. I need to clarify here that making NEW art differs from the necessity of reformatting, updating and building onto OLDER art. Building a licensing portfolio is so much more than getting up each day and sitting down to the process of making art. It's about trend research, targeting specific clients, adapting to an ever changing marketplace by positioning ourselves as this or that. Building a (recognizable) brand requires consistency in style, in viewpoint and in technique. These days, almost any type of art can become  marketable if it meets these brand requirements. There is a lot of junk out there. There, I said it out load - it needed saying.

Finding (or making) the time to stay inspired and fresh while still working withing the framework of a brand does require balance. I opted out of traveling to the licensing show this week in favor of spending quality time with my paints and brushes. I'm glad I did. I'm trusting my agents to get me some juicy deals which are based on my unique perspective. I'm waiting anxiously for a report back from the show!

I normally don't jump right out after completing a new piece and show it on line but am making an exception today in an effort to show the process I use to plan out color.My neighbor gave me a beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas from her garden and I was inspired by the color to create a painting. My goal was to design a vibrant, colorful piece in response to the all too often (IMHO) expected approach to painting pretty blue flowers. The blue is intense and I wanted to celebrate that and expand upon it.  I set up the bouquet in my studio and pulled in some colorful papers and a backdrop. I like the sharp, straight edges of the paper juxtaposed with the soft, round and fluffy flowers. It creates a nice variety and gives this piece a bit of an edge...just what I wanted. Above, I've shown the final piece cropped. I like tight crops on images and I will probably use this for a greeting card design or possibly a gift item...I have some ideas.

Below is the start. I set up the still life to my left and then photographed it. I printed off the photo and set it up beside my painting. I liked having both the real set up and the photo available to glance at.

Here it is, about half finished...I could have stopped here and called it done but chose to add in more detail instead.

And here is the finished painting.   Limited edition, signed and numbered Giclee prints are available for purchase. Please contact me for pricing and sizes.

Have a good week, friends!

If you were inspired, please take a moment and leave me a comment...thanks!

February color palette-v.18-just in time for Valentines Day crafting

brrrrrrr.......are you one of the many who are snowed in this weekend? 

When we lived up north, I never minded those snow days, that is, as long as I was prepared for them. Getting caught off guard was tough, however. It's a great chance to spend time playing or crafting with the kids, do some baking or just get caught up on some housecleaning. 

If you are surrounded by white snow, you might really enjoy this color palette, v.18 in my ongoing color palette series. Feel free to cut out the art and use it to make someone a special valentine!

Download BP color U_v.18

If you love color, please join me on Facebook  here!  

I'd like to invite you to watch Inspired at Home's LIVE Facebook pajama party on Wednesday nights at 10:00 eastern time. The fabulous Maria Nerius is hostess, joined by Tiffany Windsor who is the creator of Inspired at Home. Here's a playback link to last weeks episode - http://www.linqto.com/PlaybackRoom.aspx?roomname=inspiredathome&name=SingleExplicit_2010_02_03_21_00_04_649 where I showed a large painting I'm working on. I'll be joining in each week to show more live painting and will be giving tips and techniques and will take any questions you wish to ask about my creative process.

This live event is a place to join in the fun, show off what creative endeavors you happen to be working on, or just chat! 

Last Sunday night, I was also a featured guest on Inspired at Home Blog Talk Radio, along with TerriO and Julianna Hudgins of Sizzix! You can listen to it here- http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inspiredathome

whew! That should keep you busy for a while! 

about a year ago...

a few weeks short of, actually...I took a trip to London and to Paris,  in that order. Paris was amazing! Even though it was cold, rainy  and off season, I enjoyed the holiday decorations, the company and the relaxation of it all. My trip was business, hosting my own show on QVC, which is always great fun but a bit intense. I took the bullet train down to Paris afterward and enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere that only Paris gives. While relaxing and exploring, I also had opportunity to just sit, be inspired and create.

Here is a little bit of mixed media I made, done at home, but inspired by my trip. 

I LOVE stitching on my pieces! And, adding in elements such as ribbon, lace, cut felt pieces and especially cut paper makes it so visually enticing. I love creating my own surface art to use in my mixed media pieces so that it maintains the "voice of the artist". 

I encourage you to design your own mixed media art and base it on a travel experience. The purple in this piece reflects the trend seen while in both London and Paris last year! EVERYWHERE- purple!!! 

...there's just something magical about Paris, no matter what the season!  Je ne sais quoi?

Inspiration!

Nothing like a spending a day with someone whose work is the likes of the fabulous Kathy Fincher!

Kathy invited me to visit her last week so I drove up to her beautiful home, about an hour away from my house via the back roads. I've been a huge fan of Kathy's work since I first met her about a year and a half ago but I have to say, seeing her paintings in person takes your breath away. They are extremely beautiful, meaningful and inspired. And Kathy herself is a true inspiration. She is an accomplished tennis player, water skier, and probably the smartest business person I know. When I say smart in business, I'm referring to the kind of smart that sets an example of trustworthiness, of honesty and of character. It would never occur to her to be anything less than a reflection of her faith, whether someone is watching or not. And isn't that the test of character? Doing the right thing even if no one is watching? She is such an inspiration and was kind enough to give me some private lessons in pastel painting. Here are a couple of pictures...the first one is Kathy working on her current painting.  Kathy's work is used for all types of wonderful products including her "Mama Says™' series of figurines available through Demdaco.

And take at look here... 

This just makes my heart flutter and my mouth drool! I'm pretty sure I have to go shopping at Dick Blick this week! 

I've started my next surface design collection after what seemed like a lifetime of "what next?". Sometimes that's just the way it works. I bought myself a big roll of paper from IKEA kids section, got out my pens, my pastels, my gouache paints and started to just play. It's amazing how simply changing your tools will set you off on a path you never would have thought of going down. I get bored doing the same thing more than once. I love exploring new looks, new color ways, new techniques...In fact, I'm a technique junkie. That's the designer side of me. Sometimes the Designer and Artist in me have to fight it out. As a Designer, I'm all about form follows function and I love simple, clean and organized. BUT, my artist wants to fill up the space with curlies and squiggles and polkadots. 

I hope you have an inspired week!