It's a brand new beginning of time...

I really feel so excited with what this new decade will be bringing me. The last decade was not too good for me. I thank God for the blessings and love he has brought me to carry me through the tough times as there were many struggles for me. I was in a place lost out in the wilderness...mentally and spiritually. But I know it was also a place of growth for me...a place of preparing for what was to come. And now here it is: my time to breakthrough and reach up as high as I possibly can! It is now my new beginning of time for a wonderful adventure.

I am here Lord...take me there!

Looking forward to a new year...a new canvas!

It has been quite a year and so I thought I'd end this blog year with a short reflection:

This year has definately been a year of growth and changes...it was my big 4-0 Birthday; I realized my full potential; and I have realized what I needed to do to make things better. I am still in progress of all the goals I laid before myself...too many to even mention. I have been stretched and pulled in so many ways with life's challenges and this has caused so many life changing dynamics for me. Most important thing I have learned is not to look back...I don't mean not to think of the fun and wonderful memories, but not to look back at the things that have hurt me. Life is to precious to waste time on those things...we must enjoy life fully in the now!

So now, I look forward to this new year of 2010 as though it were a brand new canvas! I can't wait to get out my paintbrushes and paint it all up!

Christmas is almost here!

Once again time has flown by in supersonic speed! These last few weeks I have been finding it hard to really get my artwork finished up. I have no idea why this has happened but I am really happy and not worrying about it. I have been creative in ways of ideas brewing in my mind, making decisions about some of these ideas, and allowing myself to just be quiet and take in what the Lord wants to speak to me about. It feels really good. There is just way too much in my mind as far as ideas go and sometimes I don't take the time to write them down or reflect on them because I get to caught up in trying to do them all! lol!

*** Some Surprising News! ***

Actually, I have one idea that I couldn't ignore...it involves both my paintings and designing again! Now this idea came to me as I'd paint my backgrounds for my paintings. After I'd finish up a background I'd think, you know, that would be a cool background for Digital Scrapbooking! Little by little I realized that I really liked that idea. It gives me the originality that I longed for and also fulfills my desire to design again. I really wasn't sure about designing again or how I wanted to do it. As I was trying to decide and praying about it, Royanna from Divine Digital happened to send me a friend request on my FB page...seriously! I decided to check out Divine Digital and liked what I seen. I went ahead and asked when they might be doing a Designer call and guess what...I'm now an Exclusive Designer for Divine Digitals! I'm soo excited and can't wait to put into motion all those ideas I've had brewing!

So this blog will still be for my artwork but I just wanted to share with you all that I will be reopening my designer blog for my design work and updates! *Updated 1/11/10: I am only using this blog! ;)
*******

*Back to my 'Artsy' stuff!*
I was hoping to finish some really cute Christmas Angels I drew by now but I will post those as soon as they are finished! The main projects I will be doing is some artwork for some of my nephews and nieces Christmas presents! They all know that this will be a 'handmade' Christmas from me and they all had quite excitedly put in their 'requests'! lol!

Oh yeah! I've also been getting all these story ideas again...which means I need to get a word program on this computer!! So I am planning on beginning some illustrations for them in January! See? Didn't I tell you there are way too many ideas in this brain of mine?

I hope to post at least some of the artwork for gifts and the Christmas Angel before Christmas but in the event I am not able to hop over here to do that I would like to say Merry Christmas! :)

Giving Thanks...

Just a short little post to say Happy Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to seeing our family today and I'm ohhh so thankful for them all! I hope you all will have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving in whatever it is that you are doing!

Life is still very challenging for me right now...I feel as though I'm being stretched and pulled in so many directions. I am challenged even more lately to keep myself focused on the Lord and to trust HIM!! I am not going to stop trusting in him as well as never stop thanking him every day for something I had taken for granted before...another day of life! I thank you Lord, for blessing me and my family and I know that things will get better soon!

Cre8tvlyYrs, Gina :)

HOPE...

My hope has recently been renewed and I am confident that it will be growing stronger! I had allowed myself to self doubt and get distracted again for these last few weeks since my last entry here. I feel the Lord is gently revealing to me how I am the one who needs to push through this cocoon I have allowed myself to feel comfortable in so that I can finally fly! It is time for me to take all the gifts that the Lord has placed inside me and do something with it!

So I will proclaim with HOPE each and every day one of my favorite scriptures: I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneths me ~Philippians 4:13

I am very excited of what the Lord will be blessing me with and the joy of finally getting to a place where I know the Holy Spirit has definately led me! So with that I will leave this short but sweet entry as I need to get back to business and finish up many projects and put in motion many others! Have a wonderful and blessed week everyone! Cre8tvlyYrs in Christ, Gina :)

*A New Outlook*

Hello my friends! Since the last time I wrote I feel I've been given another chance to live a better life...that's usually what happens when we feel we were close to death...right? For me, yeah that was how I felt. I still can't believe this happened to me, in fact it was so sudden...in the beginning of the month I was feeling well, actually on a roll with my paintings...even worked on some spiritually inspired abstract art.

Then all of a sudden, 2 weeks ago, I ended up going to the ER twice within a week. I thought I was gonna die of a stroke or a heart attack when I suddenly got hit with a horrendous what turned out to be a combination of a tension/migraine headache. This was triggered by my blood pressure being so high as well as my blood sugars and the current stress we have been going through. Without boring you of all the details...the 2nd trip to the ER two days later by ambulance really did the trick to wake me up about being on top of my health issues. So from the 13th until the 20th this horrible migraine would not go away until the follow up Dr. appt when I was finally given the right meds for the headaches.

I am so happy to report that now I feel well enough to be able to be on the computer for longer than 10 minutes and my mind is able to 'think creatively' again! I am thanking God each day for another day of life every day. Of course, I always have...but now it means alot more than it did before. :)

I'm also excited since I've been working on some new stuff...I'm calling it 'Scriptura Art' It's more of a home decor look and so far I have the greens/browns/bronze color combos started. I'm also gonna work on the blues/browns combos next. I realize that even though I have a lot of subjects in mind to work on that I still have to take things easy...just one day at a time. Actually the 'Scriptura Art' is for a holiday Craft Boutique on November 15th at my church. I'm going to bring what ever I have ready and not stress about it...I'm mainly doing it to present myself as an artist to my community over here. :)

So that's pretty much why I haven't been posting on my blog and barely posted here and there on facebook. Oh yeah, I will be posting the artwork I had just finished up right before this incident on Flickr and FaceBook but I wanted to especially share my abstract piece here because it is pretty interesting...mainly because I rarely do abstract work. It actually was more of a spiritually led painting because I had the urge to paint when I was getting ready to go to bed, it was though the Lord said, "Wait a minute, your not done painting yet!" So then I grabbed a canvas some paints and here's what evolved:

There is so much to this painting that you'll have to check out the details when I post it on Flickr if your interested. Let's just say that there is a lot of hidden images within this painting from the paintstrokes to the paint formations itself! I feel so blessed by this...I really do, especially since this was totally spiritually led. When I finished this I was amazed by what I seen and this title came to mind shortly after: 'The Cleansing of the World".

It's so amazing because as I think about it now...it was as though the Lord was telling me, "I'm not finished with you yet" as I lay there in the ER thinking I just might die! The Lord is AWESOME isn't he? Love him sooooo much!!!

*Autumn's Garden Angels* - Version 1

Hello everyone!
I hope you are enjoying the beautiful Autumn weather as I have! I am most happy since I can actually go outside again! I have a few new pieces of artwork to share with you but I had an unexpected design job that I had to focus on this week so I didn't get to do everything I had planned on. I was also babysitting my baby niece Zoey again today and barely had a chance to post here now! Life is getting busier and busier for us lately!! In fact, we have 3 parties to go to this month! 2 of them being Halloween parties! I am trying to think of something for my Artie & I to be together. I don't want it to be evil or 'sexy' but not too cutesy either...anyone have any ideas? I'm probably gonna have to actually make the costumes for us so nothing too complicated either! ;)

I have also been getting other design jobs and even have some commissioned pieces to do! I am soo excited about that! I just finished designing birthday invitaions and I have another design job for b-day invites plus a slideshow, then a really big job for my brother's dj business...which is a pretty big deal + 2 commissions for the "Margarita" paintings...all due this month! Which makes me wonder if I'll have the time to paint other ideas?? lol!

I actually have no choice but to! My husband Artie has come up with an idea for us to do a private art show in our home for our family and friends to see and purchase my original artwork or order commissioned pieces! He wants it to include cheese platters and wine! He's sooo awesome for his support and enthusiasm of my work! We are planning this in November, not sure of the exact date yet but he's serious about this...so that means it will definately happen! :)

This of course means that I may not be blogging as much as I gotta put myself in gear and superfocus some more artwork!! But I did want to show you my latest work...

*Presenting...The two newest editions to my "Angelic Art". They are Autumn themed 'Garden Angels'...

This is 'Autumn'

This is Lil' Pumpkin

This is actually the 1st color combination version featuring fun bright colors. I am working on another version in more brown tones. I usually paint my current subjects first on canvas paper to experiment with the color combinations until I decide which colors I like best before actually painting on actual canvas. I will have these all available on etsy soon!

*****Happy Fall & Autumn Season...May God Bless you all!*****