My Goal...

So I've taken the first week of Katycourse and I am truly loving it.  I am learning so much more than just what is being taught.  I'm realizing that we are all the same.  That we all just take it step by step.  No one is really an expert, knowing everything.  We all just are learning as we go.  But we don't always know what the outcome will be.  We all are just doing what we can, and hoping for the best results.  It feels good to know that others are learning too.  That even the people who have "made it" are also still learning.  There is no real "way". That fact gives me confidence.
 I love how generous artists are and how we all want to share information with each other and hopefully make it easier for someone else.  This field of art is so awesome because everyone is so unique.  It seems to take away the feeling of competition.  There's no "better" than him or her.  Art is in the eye of the beholder, and you just don't know who the beholder may be.
So part of this weeks lessons are how to focus.  One of the questions is "what is it that you want to DO with your art?"  What is your goal and what will give you satisfaction?"  These are very deep questions...not just surface stuff.  You can't make good art without going deep, (even if you don't know you are, you're probably hitting some deep spot hidden somewhere inside!)

So I've asked myself this question and my answer came out of me.  I'm going to put it here in my blog first, because I think it is a little too much of an answer to give to the class.  They all might think I'm a bit crazy.  But here it is....

When I create something, I do it with purity.  When I'm making art, I feel so clear and pure and innocent.  I have no worries, no anxieties, no ulterior motives.  It always feels wonderful when I am in "the zone".  I treasure that feeling, that place of bliss.  I don't know where I would be without it.

For many different reasons, I've come to realize that creating art is my calling.  I feel so lucky to know this.  What I hope to do with my art is really pretty simple...I want to touch this world gently and calmly. I want to leave it a better place because I was here.  I want to bring happiness and peace to strangers.

When I look at the work I've already completed, I see a vulnerability in each piece; each face.  No matter what the subject, each expression appears pure to me.  I hope it looks that way to others also.

If purity was more a part of the world, I think it would be such a sweeter, kinder place.  I know that idea sounds a little childish and naive for reality, but oh how I wish it were true.

I am not a very religious person.  I believe in God and Angels and miracles.  But I also know that fairy tales don't come true.  All I can do is my part in this world.  Even if it is a small part, I believe I am here to do it the best I can.  That is what I want to do with my art.  I want to reach as many people as possible and leave them with a feeling of pureness and calm.  I want to touch the world gently and sweetly.

Kelly Lish
5-7-2010

First Royalties Check!

Today I received my first royalties check from Phenominoes!!!!  And....they sent me a beautiful necklace with my artwork on it!  Thank you Sandy...you are so sweet!  I love it!

A FLEETING MOMENT :)

This is a little peek at my day in Eugene last weekend, visiting my son at his frat house.  I sat in the sunshine and watched these little families of geese, float and swim around.  They were so entertaining and made me laugh out loud all by myself.  A sweet moment for me while soaking in the warmth of the sun-Ahhhhhh

A HAUNTING WE WILL GO...

My entry to Cloth Paper Scissors-A Haunting We Will Go contest.  Wish me luck!
Mixed media, acrylic, ink, collage, wax
12 x 12

WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE II

I'll be attending this very cool party...anyone want to join me?  It looks like fun.  I just love looking at artists studios.  So inspirational!

Waking up to a fun email...

I received an email this morning from someone in Illinois.  She's featuring my Mothers Day cake on her blog post.  Her site is called FIRST LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY.  Her work is really lovely.  Take a peek!  What a very nice email for me to wake up to.  :)

MERMAID MAGIC

My newest creation...
Mermaid Magic
18x24
mixed media, acrylic, ink, collage, wax

...

Time to go get the new issue of Artful Blogging.  I love all the Somerset magazines.  They totally brighten my day when a new one comes out :)

ps.   I'm in love with my new blog layout!  Thanks Shabby Blogs!

Updated my blog...

I am so lame at the computer!!!! Ugh!  I just spent hours updating and redecorating my blog.  It's fun for me to do, but so dang hard!!!!!
There was more I wanted to add, but just haven't quite figured it out, even though I read the instructions over and over again.  I need to go to bed.  Maybe I'll tackle more tomorrow.  :)

Katycourse...

Today begins the Katycourse...a course on how to generate income from art.  I'm excited to learn.  Come on brain, don't fail me now.

Etsy Treasury!!!!!

Take a peek friends...I'm in a beautiful Etsy Treasury!  I'm so proud!  :)

CPS calender contest

Tomorrow Cloth Paper Scissors announces the winners of the 2011 calender contest-Make It Pretty....I hope I'm a winner!!!!

Quote...

"When you follow your bliss, doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors."
-Joseph Campbell

I hope this is true, cuz I'm counting on it!  :)

New Jewelry I'm adding to my shop!

Here's a little peek at what I've been working on lately, in between painting...

VINTAGE ROSE NECKLACE....
Pearls, glass beads, crystals, distressed gold chain.
Handmade

SILVER N ICE NECKLACE
Pearls, glass beads, crystals, distressed silver chain, vintage silver earring (pendent)
Handmade

Autism Ball 2010

You Are My Sunshine...my piece I donated to the Autism Ball this year for the silent auction.  I hope it did good.

April 25 2010
Melody Ball Room, Portland OR

Cruise to Mexico pics

Payten and I had so much fun on the cruise-I'm missing the sunshine!

Mothers Day Cake

Mothers Day Cake
11 x 14
mixed media, acrylic, ink, collage, wax

ALICE and THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

Alice and The Queen Of Hearts
8 x 10 mixed media
acrylic, ink, collage, wax

Cooper

Just some recent pics of my littlest baby...

CHERISH Wedding Cake

CHERISH Wedding Cake
11 x 14
mixed media, acrylic, ink, collage, hand made papers, wax

PROMISE

Promise
9 x 12
mixed media, acrylic, collage, hand made papers, ink, wax

DREAM

DREAM
11x14
Mixed media, acrylic, ink, collage, wax

Steam Punk Girl 4

Just finished her today...
Steam Punk Girl #4
9 x 12
Mixed media, acrylic, ink, collage, wax

Working on a new Steam Punk Girl....

HAPPY EASTER FRIENDS!

Easter Cake
9 x 12
mixed media, acrylic, ink, collage, wax

Another new, beautiful friend...

This is a note I recieved the other day from a beautiful soul.  I am blessed.

Hello Kelly, 

Hope you are well. I'm really touched by the pice your created in honor of your mother win over breast cancer. I lost a good friend to breast cancer, but she choose not to have modern treatments like chemo. She instead sought homeopathic treatments. 

I am a 31 year old brain cancer survivor. Diagnosed with a benign optic nerve glioma at eight months old and had a reassurance at five years old. This time included surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. Spring 2009 I was diagnosed with a meningioma, a tumor formed from radiation cells left in the body twenty or more years. I'm still standing strong, but tired. I am a woman of faith and love offering others Hope. I speak publicly speak on behalf of people whose lives are affected by brain tumors / cancer. 

I hope to meet you some day. 

Love,
Jennifer 


I wrote back to her:


Hi Jennifer-
Thank you so much for your note about Celebrate Strength. You just cant imagine how good it feels to get a note like that, that my art actually touched someone. Thank you so much. I'm sorry your friend lost her fight. I'm very lucky to still have my Mom around 15 years after her fight.
Two and a half years ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor called an Acoustic Neuroma. It was the scariest time of my life so far. It was a large tumor in my brain that grew on the hearing nerve. It was non cancerous. October 16 of 2007 I had brain surgery to remove it. They got it all and I am doing great. I lost 100% of my hearing on the left side but it is okay, and I am happy to have a new outlook on life. Sometimes it even can be a positive thing (when I want to take a nap for example!) :) 
I am sorry about your new diagnosis. You must feel frustrated. I hope everything will go perfectly for you and that modern medicine and prayers and miracles will take care of you and your future. Its wonderful that you can be positive and share hope! My thoughts and prayers will be with you and I hope to meet you someday too!
Feels like we already have so much in common!
Love, Kelly




This blog has opened so many doors for me and also opened my heart to some wonderful people....

A new chapter beginning....

So yesterday was my last work day at the doctors office...I've been there for about four years now.  It's been a piece of my life and the friends there have been family to me.  That is what I will miss-the daily contact with two wonderful sisters. We have been through thick and thin together and I love them so much. But I plan on keeping those sisters with me for the rest of my life, so I'm definately not saying goodbye.  Sorry girls....you're stuck in my heart forever!

I am ready to work on my art full time though.  That is what I'm excited about!  I want to give it my all and see what happens.  I want to leave my mark on this world some way, and hopefully make it a better place.  Is that too much to ask for?  I hope not-it's my goal!

Early bed time....

8:30 bed time!  I'm still recovering from a week of fun and sun!  The cruise was a blast and the group I went with were so much fun!  Payten and I will remember it always.

Me and my (first) 15 minutes of fame-hahahaha!

Today we stopped at Borders and I asked my son Jacob to take my picture with me holding the three magazines that Im in!  It was fun...I'm so proud!

Gone for a week in the sun!

I'll be gone for the next week.  My daughter and I are taking a girl trip-a cruise to Mexico!  Cant wait for some good strong sunshine!  I'll take lots of picks and post when I get home...Adios mi amigos! xo

A new friend :)

This is an example of why I love this blog world so very much.  I have made a new friend...I can feel it in my heart.  It's a wonderful feeling :)

Kolleen of HeartWing Sisters posted this question on her blog...

"HOW DO YOU HANDLE THOSE LITTLE GREMLINS THAT CREEP INTO YOUR BRAIN AND SAY SOMETHING LIKE "WHO ARE YOU TO THINK YOU ARE AN ARTIST?? OR A WRITER?? ETC... ETC... HOW DO YOU NOT COMPARE YOUR WORK TO OTHERS??"

truthfully, i have been dealing with that a bit lately....i will go on other blogs and look at the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G artwork and think to myself "who am i kidding???" or "wow! their work is so detailed and gor-juss....mine is like a little kids." so i would love to know how others handle something similar...how do you handle those stinkin gremlins that creep about???

i am hopeful i am not alone in this!!!

The following was my answer to her....

On Mar 17, 2010, at 10:34 PM, Kelly Lish wrote:

Kelly Lish has left a new comment on your post "SAY WHAAAAAAAT WEDNESDAY?":

Kolleen, Here is my take on this subject, and I think I just might be right on this one! :) I have decided that being an artist is not about what we produce. Its about the way we look at the world, the way things touch us and inspire us to create and leave our mark on the world. Who are we to judge what is art anyway, right! Being an artist is just who we are. It's the need inside of us to create. It's the way we look at a field of grass that the sun is shining on and say to ourselves, "wow! that is the most beautiful color of green I've ever seen!" It's the urge inside of us to interpret what we feel or see in our own unique way. But its not the product at all, its just the feeling in our soul and our hearts. Not everyone is like this. I think those of us that are like this are called artists. xo Not in a pretencious way either-its just a part of our personality. :)

Then she came back to me with her response....

Kelly!!!!!!

oh how i love your answer!!!

and i agree....

you ARE completely right on this one!!

what a lovely, magical way to look at what an "artist" truly is.  i absolutely can relate to how we may look at a field of grass and exclaim "wow!  that is the most beautiful color of green i've ever seen!!"  

yes!     yes!     yes!

i own this part of my soul...this part of my personality...and i am so grateful for it!!  

there are times i see something  which i have seen hundreds of times before, but will say something and my hubby will be like "you act as if you are seeing that for the first time!!"  i really LOVE when that happens!!!

thank you so very much for your comment...for your wisdom and wonderous way in helping me with my little stinkin gremlins!!  i appreciate it more than you know!!

sending love and hugs

xoxo

k

And I wrote again to her....

Kolleen it is so true yes?!  I know...sometimes my husband says things
to me too, like "you must see the world so differently than me!"   One
time there was a full, bright rainbow out and I was driving and I had
to pull the car over and practically wipe tears out of my eyes cuz it
was so freakin beautiful!  I think we are so lucky to be artists.  I
love it when the little things that I've seen so many times before
just take my breath away...

I also think about the work of Grandma Moses...you know that older
woman who was an artist who painted paintings of towns and people and
farms and animals?  Her art work was nothing special in the technical
terms and her perspective views were way off and her work was very
child like...but they are beautiful and touching to look at.  Thats
all that matters...trying to put our hearts out there in some way for
the world and make it a better place.

Love to you!!!!  Glad we are becoming friends :)  Have a wonderful weekend xo

CPS Finalist!!!!!!!!

Hey!!!! I'm one of the 21 finalists in the CLOTH PAPER SCISSORS 2011 calender challenge!!!!  They will pick 13 winners!  Oh, I hope they pick mine.  It's one of my favorite pieces and it's called FOREVER LOVE

Wish me luck!!!

Soaking up Reality...

Just been busy this week trying to soak in reality...trying to take life day by day, minute by minute.  Listening to my heart and soul.

Good bye to an Angel...

A beautiful Angel named Renee has gone home to heaven.  She touched so many people with her story and her honesty.  She made this world a better place and all of us that met her, she made better people, just by listening to her words and her open heart.

Thank you for all that you have given to me Renee.  I feel so very blessed to have you as my friend.  I'll see you again someday and look forward to giving you a "real" hug.

You'll be in my heart forever.

Love,
Kelly

Time to set some goals...

Its that time again...I need to set some goals for myself.  I'm SO not an organized person, that this is not an easy task for me.  To set a goal, I need to research what I want that goal to be...then I need to write out dates on a calender, and remember to look at that calender!....and then I need to go for it!  Once I'm going for it, I'm pretty excited.  Sounds simple enough...but I just don't think my brain works in the A. B. C. sequence.  I think it works more like  A. M. U...back to A.  then on to W!  Time to put a leash on this crazy brain and make it work in order!  hahaha!
Wish me luck!  :)