Max Stone: Young Artist At Large

I’d like to introduce you all to an up and coming young artist named Max Stone. He is now working in the BAD! Kitty Art Studio and has a web page on the Bad! Kitty web site. (we will be updating his web page over the weekend with his new works and words)

Max is 9 years old ( going to be 10 in October) is in the 4th grade. He has just started his own

blog to talk about his art and other things that interest him. It’s a pleasure to work in studio with such a creative force as Max, he knows how to have fun when he works. Max has had a true creative spirit his whole life, he loves color, texture and strong graphic subject matter. His favorite style of creating is mixed media abstract. He is currently working mostly in acrylics but has expressed recently that he would like to start learning about oils, so we will start working on that in the fall.

As Max’s Mom, Agent and Personal Bouncer I am really proud that he is ready to share his new works with the world. He is very confident and sure of himself when he works, it’s all about how he feels. We have our own working space in the studio, and he rarely if ever askes for instruction in his work. He has watched me paint for years andwill ask how to do things and even ask me to show him when I am working on my own paintings, but he never asks for me to help him on his work. He says it has to be all him, and he is sure of that. He is really a pleasure to work with. All three of my son’s are gifted in the arts, math, sciences, sports and music, but Max is the first to want to market his talents to the world at large. I’m always saying that around him, “Max, you my friend are a young artist at large!” He has no problem “talking art” with anyone anytime. When we go to galleries and look at art together, he throws in his two cents as readily as any adult present, and has often talked to the artists themselves to ask how they did something he saw and liked. It’s impressive, really. I asked him why he wanted to sell his art, and he said, “why not?” I mean it really is that simple and easy isn’t it? He wants to make his own money so he can buy more materials to work with, whatever he wants, which right now is a real stand up easel like mine. He is tired of working small canvas and wants to steal my large ones all the time, so I have taken to giving him the large works that don’t work out after a while so he can paint over them. It’s expensive being an artist, and he wants to be able to pick his own supplies, I’m raising a Man with moxie. Now that there are two working artists in the house, I am sure we will soon be insufferable. Middle child has perked up his ears to the recent “business endeavors” of his youngest sibling and has started a cartoon strip, we will soon see if he will want to publish the results or not.

Can you remember the time when kids mowed lawns, baby sat, and sold lemonade to make money? Now they can safely stay home and talk to the entire globe from their living room. Oy! The amount of vigilance I will be giving this endeavor is super high, OMG. The one thing I won’t ever do is hold anyone back from their dreams, so if he feels ready to take on the world, I’m right there with and for him.
So, check out the newest artist to join forces with BAD! Kitty Art Studio and take a look a Max’s blog. We will be posting new pictures of his latest works and WIP’s later today and over the weekend, so don’t miss it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Heather
http://www.badkittyartstudio.com
Support Living Artists
Buy some art today

Daily Art- Trapped in a woman- Birthday wishes

“Sometimes I feel like a Drag Queen Trapped in a Womans Body”

Mixed Media laminated paper collage

8″ X 11″

To purchase this work Click HERE

The Quotes that inspired the work:
“My facts shall be falsehoods to the common sense. I would so state facts that they shall be significant, shall be myths or mythologic. Facts which the mind perceived,thoughts which the body thought - with these I deal.”

~Henry David Thoreau

***

“The first thing that strikes the careless observer is that women are unlike men, they are ‘the opposite sex’ (though why ‘opposite’ I do not know; what is the neighboring sex’?). But the fundamental thing is that women are more like men than anything else in the world.”

~Dorothy Sayers

***

“Let us not hesitate to be the messiahs of our age.”

~Lucretia Mott

***

I am a Woman. I am a Human. I am More than a Gender. I am simply just More. We are all at the epoch of non-gender thinking. We are Human, and we could all be so much more. To find the truth of ourselves, sometimes you must go inside to find your way out. I love Drag Queens, I always have, they are some of the bravest and most loving people I have ever known. Strong, beautiful and talented these humans have always been powerful hero personalities for me. I honor them in this work. Besides, they will take off a shoe and beat you to death with it, in a heartbeat. They are warriors of the light. So, watch yourself. :)
The text at her elbow reads:

“Nuer warrior in ceremonial costume: the Nuer believe in an omnipotent God who is responsible for good fortune and for bad, who is in the sky but is also on earth with man. Man is God’s opposite, the created as against the creator, but his ‘breath’ or ‘life’ comes from God and returns to God again after death.”
***

I hope your day is full of Wonder and Joy, thanks for being here today.
On a side note, my two best girlfriends in this world are celebrating their birthdays yesterday and today. Stop by and tell them happy birthday won’t you, I’d love to see them both over run with well wishes. Tell them Heather sent you. *Big Grins*
Happy Birthday Dina! Happy Birthday Vikki! All my love to you both.

Heather

Giving The Finger- Five Red Dice and an Update

pictograph oil painting using Mexician cave art by Heather Brown Truman copyright 2008

New Work
oils & acrylics
18″ x 24″ x 2″
The quote for this work:
“Archaeologists have not yet discovered any stage of human existence without art. Even in the half-light before the dawn of humanity we received this gift from Hands we did not manage to discern. Nor have we managed to ask: Why was this gift given to us and what are we to do with it?
And all those prophets who are predicting that art is disintegrating, that it has used up all its forms, that it is dying, are mistaken. We are the ones who shall die. And art will remain. The question is whether before we perish we shall understand all its aspects and all its ends.
Not all can be given names. Some of them go beyond words. Art opens even the chilled, darkened heart to high spiritual experience. Through the instrumentality of art we are sometimes sent—vaguely, briefly—insights which logical processes of thought cannot attain.
Like the tiny mirror of the fairy tale: you look into it and see—not yourself—but for one fleeting moment the Unattainable to which you cannot leap or fly. And the heart aches…
Dostoyevsky once let drop the enigmatic phrase: “Beauty will save the world.” What does this mean? For a long time it used to seem to me that this was a mere phrase. Just how could such a thing be possible? When had it ever happened in the bloodthirsty course of history that beauty had saved anyone from anything? Beauty had provided embellishment certainly, given uplift—but whom had it ever saved? “
~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
(It saved me, I'm one that was saved by this beauty)
Good day all,
It’s been a tough couple of weeks here at BAD! Kitty Art, we have been working really hard and sleeping too little. Not that much has changed, just it was harder this last two weeks inside the brain pans of the adults here. Stress, it’s a killer. It’s a “shoot the muse and leave her for dead”, as well. The kind of stress that comes from the pressure of a deadline, a pre-determined deadline, I can take really well, become even more inspired even. The un-determined long haul stress is what I am talking about. The one week rolling into another, and the laundry still isn’t done, kind of stress, that’s killing me. That and the boys are on summer break, so they are either trying to quietly kill one another * quietly, because they both in get into trouble for actual fighting, no matter who “started” it* or they are asking for something. OY! OK, enough with the kvetching, on with some fun stuff.
Oh, one last thing, I am thinking of naming the newest painting “This is me, giving whimsy the finger”, what do you think, kind of catchy isn’t it? *grins*
I hate, no double hate, no not really, I loath my work being called whimsical. It really drives me crazy. In the beginning of my career, I’ll agree I did do a lot of work that was funny or based on something I thought funny. I still do from time to time, but not as much because when I started getting solo shows and events, the reporters started to write their reviews and commentary on my “Whimsical work”. Drove me bat-shit, so I stepped away from satire for a while, to get some “real” work done. These days I just don’t care enough about what anyone else says about my work, but I still inwardly groan when ever some one says , “your work is so whimsical!”. Now I just smile, and ask if they like it enough to buy it. *BAD! Kitty Grins and bears it* OK, now really…no more kvetching…well a girl can hope anyway. “)
This new work falls into what has been called “whimsy” for my style of work… eh, whatever. It is really a very cool collection of pictographs from the Mexico regional native peoples spanning over a few centuries. The main figure is from the 17th century for example, the moon in all it’s phases, from a later date. Every line in the entire work is actually a snippetof ancient language. I mixed all the ones I liked [ read: remembered] together, and came up with this painting. Like shake ‘n’ bake for art. I have all theses reference books, and I love pictographs and ancient text of all types, yes, I totally wanted to be Indiana Jones as a kid, real bad too. It’s carried on into my adult life and has become a large part of my work, telling big stories by focusing on the small details of a universal, easy to understand, human symbol’s. (I call it Heather-speak, shhh, that’s a secret) Seriously, I want you to get my work, not have to study it. I also want to teach, and remind the soul in each person my work may encounter. Either to wake them to something within themselves (reaction), or to re-mind them of something they have forgotten from the symbolic images (resonance) I use. I have not done a painting recently that wasn’t in my own language, and after painting ‘Seasons of Love’ recently I have been back in love with ancient hieroglyphs and pictographs. The only thing about my cave painting is I’m a very modern cave-person, it gave me a fun excuse to paint bubble wrap and stick it stuff. I love that repeated circle over and over, it’s my favorite. For fear of being “trendy” or Whimsical” I have not been playing as much, you know, just playing around. I’ve been all serious and productive and insightful but it has not been a party place, round here. ( I’ve been the serious BAD! Kitty or as serious a this kitty gets anyway)This work was plain old fun. I turned up the dance groove and spaced out for a while, it was great. I just hope I didn’t put the picture together in some way that says something in a real language, good lord I can see it now…people standing there getting mad because I insulted their mother or something. I was just playing around, I don’t know what all the images mean and I didn’t take the time to find out while I was playing, (or since, I guess I don’t want to know either) then it would have been work. Not fun, putting down the time to play around in my own head space…priceless. I hope you enjoy seeing it.
Ok, on to the other thing I wanted to tel you all about, because the way things are going I’m sure not posting as much and I think it’s really fun.
I cam across a blog called Five Red Dice. It’s this guy named Alan Mizell, he lives in Austin TX and he had these red dice and started trading them to see what he could turn them into. It’s a fun read, a fun project and I don’t want to give too much away, but you should check it out, maybe you have something to trade for what he has now, which is pretty cool and a total upgrade from the dice. Just go look, like I said I don’t want to give away the suprise, it’s fun.
I hope this post finds everyone well, good and happy.
Heather
http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

Daily Art- New Work- The Dance

‘The Dance’
36″ x 24″
oils
Finished sides, ready to hang
To Purchase or read more about this work CLICK HERE
***
Happy 4th of July America!
I hope you all have a safe and fun holiday.
Heather
http://www.badkittyartstudio.com
Posted in Art Talk, Art for the day, Bad kitty art, Original Art, abstract art, art in Lexington Kentucky, art of nature, buy art now with paypal, creative Juice, daily painting, figurative art, from the artists studio, growing, large wall art, modern art, nature, new art, oil painting, paypal buy now art, post modern art, self representing artist Tagged abstract art, art inlexington Kentucky, buy art with paypal, daily art, large wall art, modern art, new art, Original Art, outsider Art

Daily Art- New work- Seasons of Love

‘Seasons of Love’
36″ x 24″ x 2″
Oils
Extra thick canvas, needs no frame, ready to hang

To Purchase this work Click HERE
***
Here is the quote for this work:
All that is required for you to live the freedom of your divinity is to again become familiar with returning back to your true nature. Being it and sinking deeply into living as it.
~julie sarah powell
***
It’s been a busy few weeks, but just so you know, I am still out here, painting and creating beauty, passion and freedom.
I hope you like my new work.
Have a great day,
Heather
http://www.badkittyartstudio.com
Posted in Art Talk, Art for the day, Bad kitty art, Original Art, Pop Art, Thinking, abstract art, art in Lexington Kentucky, art of nature, buy art now with paypal, creative Juice, daily painting, figurative art, from the artists studio, growing, large wall art, modern art, nature, new art, oil painting, paypal buy now art, post modern art, self representing artist Tagged abstract art, art in lexngton Kentucky, daily art, flowers, fun art, large wall art, modern art

Daily Art- Facing Truths

‘Insights: Facing Truth’
Oils
24″ X 30″ X 2″
Gallery Wrapped sides, no staples, extra thick box style canvas/ready to hang
***
Here is the quote that inspired the work:
“You never find yourself until you face the truth.”
Pearl Bailey (1918 - 1990)
***
This work started out as a lark. I really did just start painting and this is what happened. These three heads with their long faces, rich full lips, and expressive eyes reminded me of African Tribal masks, like what the Shamans would have worn. (which I have always had a fascination with, tribal masks of all types, that is) They appeared like magic in my brain pan, so I just went with it.
They are painted in very rich earth tones and warm reds, they will make a dramatic statement where ever they are placed. This is the first in the “faces” series (you can see the rest of the series at my web site HERE in the paintings gallery).
I have enjoyed working in this abstract series, the faces have all shown me, taught me, that I can not hide from my real self.
I am not a rule follower, I am a rule maker.
(for myself, I’m not trying to take over the world here ya know…well maybe just a little)
At the time this series was started
(which I admit I didn’t know was going to turn into a series)
I just wanted to play with a style of painting faces that was not realism, and not cubism, and was not entirely abstract either.
I think I ended up on the abstract side of the street anyway, but it’s in my own style and that’s what I was after in the first place.These heads… well what can I say? You can see they have compassion, information, understanding and something to say.
What do they say to you?
***
To purchase this work Click HERE
***
http://www.badkittyartstudio.com/
Buying art from living artists has been shown to
increase the joy quotient in peoples lives, and improve the signs of aging.
Buy some art today.

Posted in Art for the day, Bad kitty art, Original Art, Pop Art, abstract art, from the artists studio, large wall art, modern art, oil painting Tagged abstract art, art, Art for the day, bold art, facing truth, from the artists studio, Insight, modern, new art, oil painting, Original Art, self exploration, three heads went into a bar

Daily Art- Mist Fairy

‘Mist Fairy’
36″ X 48″ x 1.5″ (Really HUGE!)
Gallery Wrapped (no side staples)
oils/mixed media
***
Here’s the quote that inspired the work:
“May every soul that touches mine-
Be it the slightest contact-
Get therefrom some good;
Some little grace;
one kindly thought;
One aspiration yet unfelt;
One bit of courage
For the darkening sky;
One gleam of faith
To brave the thickening ills of life;
One glimpse of brighter skies
Beyond the gathering mists-
To make this life worth while.”
~George Eliot
***
Mist Fairy is from the Fairy world series it’s #18.
This work started out really slow.
I painted the background
(at the time, I used every single color I owned just to see what would happen)
about a year before I finished the work.
Finally, one morning I woke up and knew what this canvas needed.
It took another week to finish her, one because she is a huge work and two because she took a while to fully form in my head, she is mist you know.
I added the flat backed marbles and mirrors at the last minute and then felt like she was really done.
I love painting in very large format.
It’s just too darned expensive to get to do it often.
When I get the chance to have the supplies to do a work this large, it can take a month or more to complete.
Working in a large format means even more attention to form, detail and balance than in smaller works.
Get something a little off in a wall sized canvas…and well, you tend to notice the mistakes, first. She has great balance.
This work seems to move on it’s own, close up or across the room it has a presence and quiet power.
It has won two international top awards for mixed media work and it won an honorable mention as an oil painting, here nationally.
It hangs in the studio because I like watching the light play across her and change her all day long.
Yes, she takes up a lot of valuable wall space in my small working studio…but she talks to me, she shows me new things about herself, and she continues to inspire new works with her soft presence.
I enjoyed working on her,
I hope that shows through in the work.
***
Have a wonderful day everyone.
Heather
Thanks for reading today.
***
The See more or to purchase this artwork CLICK HERE
***
http:://www.badkittyartstudio.com
Support living artists
buy some art today

Daily Art- Mask Man- post #977

Mask Man

18″ x 24″

oils

Finished sides, needs no frame

Ready to hang

***
Here is the quote that inspired the painting:Every profound spirit needs a mask: even more, around every profound spirit a mask is continually growing.~Friedrich Nietzsche
***
To purchase this work or see more of it CLICK HERE
***
Mask Man was an accident. I was going for a completelydifferent type of painting, but as soon as he started to take shape I knew I was going to paint what needed to be created, not what I wanted to create. He is done in rich earth tones and set in a blacker than black background. He glows from the canvas, he invites you to see what is in and on your heart, he inspires self love and inner peace. He knows that if we all could shine our inner lights a little brighter, we can change the world from a rat race to a nirvana, because it all starts inside of each of us. Inner peace is like a virus, it spreads and grows, and someday if we are all unafraid enough, it will change our world, save our spaceship earth and cure the evil of hate and bigotry.

We all have masks that we wear, our social or public masks, our family masks, our business masks. Long ago I decided that I was tired of trying on all those masks just so the world would accept me as I am, with the mask I was born with; what I was born with in my heart and my soul. When I did that my life became so much easier to handle. No longer did I have to worry if I had on the proper mask for any experience, person, or place. I come to the masked ball of life, naked. I am Raw and Radiant, and have no need to pretend to be anything other than myself. Like it or lump it, this is me, and I like myself, as is. My opinion of myself and my character is more important than what anyone else’s opinion of me will ever be.

I created the Mask Man to remind myself, it’s not what is behind the masks that people wear, it’s what’s in their hearts, and what’s hidden behind their eyes that is important. This work is one of my favorites, because it painted (or gave birth) to itself. My body, mind and soul were just the instrument to put it onto the canvas for others to see, feel and learn from. This mask is a happy, loving and compassionate teacher. It offers you friendship, the wealth of a healthy soul, and unconditional love, just as you are.

May your day be filled with compassionate love, for yourself and the world at large. To every living thing, I say, I love you, you belong, you are needed and you are special.

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com/

Daily Art- Woman Work- New Work

‘Woman Work’
18″ x 24″
oils and mixed media

Finished sides needs no frame
There is a link at the bottom of this post to see more detail pictures.
***

Here is the quote for this work:
“Don’t shut yourself up in a band box because you are a woman, but understand what is going on, and educate yourself to take part in theworld’s work, for it all affects you and yours.”~Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888)

***

Woman Work is a little doodle I have been playing with for a few weeks. I’dstop by every once in a while, between loads of laundry, working my day job,tending to life, creating in the studio and comfort giving; give it a little tweakhere, and a little sparkle there. It’s either the worst mixed media work I haveever done or it’s just busy like my life and maybe I’m not always socomfortable with that fact.Probably the later of the two.It’s got a little of everything I had on or near the work table at the time on it.Flat backed glass marbles of clear, light blue, dark blue and ruddy ruby red.There are mirrors both round and square. There is super fine glitter, *Gasp!Glitter in fine art, yes it’s true and there is a Santa Clause* I used a bluecrystal glitter in the blue areas and in the red a fine red gold. I have got abucket of paint pens on the table so they got used willy-nilly.The images are all forms of the ancient expressions for goddess or woman*creator/giver of life*. I made template a while back to carve some stampswith and never got around to carving the stamps…so the template gotthrown around too. Work/Life is messy sometimes, and bright and hopefulother times; and sometimes those moments are right next to each other.Today, I decided I could not fit or add another thing to it, so I know it’s done.That simple.That complex.That’s Woman Work for ya.

I hope you enjoyed and have a great day.

To Purchase/see more pictures Click Here.

Happy Friday everyone!

Happy Hour is only 12.5 hours away and counting!

(I get up at 5am, so it's a long day waiting for happy hour!)
Grins and Giggles,

Heather

I got a Blog Award!

I was awared this terrific award by Vikki of the Red Chair Blog, Thank you Vikki!
What a wonderful way to show some love and appreciation to your fellow bloggers!!! This award was created and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creativity and their talents, also for contributing to the blogging world in whatever medium. When you receive this award it is considered a “special honor”.The rules for passing this honor on:
1) Pick 5 blogs that you would like to award this honor to.
2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award. http://arteypico.blogspot.com/.Here is my list of recipients:

1. Colorado Art Studio - Cynthia- http://coloradoartstudio.com/blog/
Cynthia is a wonderful human being that is always ready to share her discoveries and herself with the world. She amazes me with her skills and is an all around great human being. Check her out, and you soon see why she is so very special.

2.Ivan Chan Studio : http://ivanchanstudio.blogspot.com/
Ivan is an amazing person his art is done in oils mostly and the most wonderful thing is he finger paints all if not most of his work. He blows my mind and really is a loveable honest guy, with amazing talents. Check him out, you will be amazed at the detail he creates with his favorite tool in art making, his hands.

3. Muse Catcher -http://musecatcher.com/
Kalliope Amorphous is an amazing woman, incredible photographer and she writes like a silver coated dream. I learn so much from her fearless audacity and for that she is one of my most favorite artist to learn from. She is also a good friend and a lover of life. You should get to know her talent and the woman herself, it is so very much worth it.

4. Coloring Outside the Lines -http://didrooglie.blogspot.com/
Andrea of Coloring outside the lines, is a funny, extremely talented artist that lives in Canada. She makes me laugh, she makes me want to work harder in my own art to become something as great as she is, and she is loving and kind. She’s the best.

5. Gypsy Heart I am :http://island11.wordpress.com/
Gypsy Heart is an amazing woman and artist that shares my love for the writen word. She is always supportive, kind and always willing to share. I enjoy reading her blog and always come away from it feeling really good about myself and the world too. Check her out, her art is breathtaking and well as the soul that creates it.

Ok there are my five recipients. I hope that you will all check them out and enjoy them as much as I do. Have a great day everyone, you are all,every one, award winners in my book.
Lots of love to all,
Heather
http://www.badkittyartstudio.com
buy some art today
support the living artists
in your world.
The USA’s economy is over 40% small business, our entire future as a country depends on the small business people of this great nation. Your power in this life is 1. Self Control and 2. where, how, and what you spend your time and money on. Support your local business and those who are striking out on their own. In doing so you are protecting the American Dream and way of life, and being a part of dream building for some incredible human beings.
If you are not bowled over by my work (at least give it a look first, my web site link is above), then please check out the talented and wonderful of the artists I know by looking at their works, [see them in my blogroll to the right] see what stirs your soul and make an investment in something that will never go out of style, trend or loose it’s meaning. Buy some art today. Just do it.

Daily Art- Touching Down- New Work

‘Touching Down’
24″ x 18″ x 2″
Oils/mixed media/Gold Leaf
Painted sides, needs no frame
extra thick gallery style canvas
***
Here is the quote for this work:
“Nearness to nature . . . keeps the spirit sensitive to impressions not commonly felt and in touch with the unseen powers.”

~Charles Alexander Eastman (1858 - 1939)
Source: The Soul of the Indian, 1911
***
I’ve been real busy getting ready for a little event that will be happening soon and of course, working. This work is all that I have completed in the past two weeks, and I’ve enjoyed doing it. These rich and deep red colors are extremely hard to photograph, I think I must have taken over 60 shots of this work, and ended up with these three pictures. None of them speak to the richness and depth of these reds, from the palest orange to the deepest warmest crimsons. I used a knife and waited patiently between colors to build the next layer. The Gold leaf sparkles in the heavily textured moon, and glimmers of that promise fall from the heavens.
This work is all about staying in touch with the magic of being alive. Every day above ground is good. I’ve been touched by magic my entire life, that’s OK your belief isn’t required for my reality to exist. I know it’s true. I’ve had a rich life, so far. Recently a beloved friend from my past re-found me through another newer friends blog. Dina was reading Vikki’s blog and she had mentioned me in a blog post. Dina thought, now how many Heather Brown-Truman’s can there possibly be in this world, it’s got to be her! So, she dropped me a line and WHAM! I’ve got one of my most treasured and favorite people back in my life, yup…overnight. We lost touch over ten years ago, before that she made the last time I spent in the state of Florida, some of my most treasured memories of all time. She is a magic woman, multi-talented artist, gifted writer, and a incredible human being. She was the first person in my life to ever look at me and tell me to get over it, there’s nothing wrong with you, stop trying to make yourself fit into a world that isn’t accepting you as is. That and, you can stick stuff to other stuff and if you do it right, it’s called art. Anything and everything you do in this life is both magic and art, if only done with the right mindset. She helped me to re-build a woman out of some old broken down people parts, she took her magic needle and tread and re-enforced the weak spots, put sparkles on the scars, and reshaped the person I was to become.
She gave me my faith back.
Now I have her in my life again, it’s truly a very small world. The old saying that like attracts like is very true. Love is something that never dies and is never wrong. I have such a rich life, my past is not so bad, it’s wonderful now even. I am stronger than I was back then, more confident and loving. Isn’t it funny? I look back and see how much I have grown and I see what I have always been. Consistent, open, loving and honorable in my affairs of the heart. Isn’t that just the best thing ever to wake up and realize…I am True and the people I know, the people who choose from their own free will to love me, they are the magic seeds in my garden. So, when I was thinking about Dina and Vikki my two best girlfriends ever, and how they found each other then connected the small dots back to me, this work was born.
When you think you don’t know, or understand your life. When you are ready to give up the pursuit of understanding and let the teachings of being steady in your own skin wash through you, you discover that you will never be alone and that love never dies.
You will find a place of passionate peace. A peace inspired by the inner call of your true self, one that is inspired, motivated and richly rewarding.
That’s what this work is for me, a declaration of love for those that have really seen me along my path. For those who have stopped along the way and never offered a hand out but a hand up into the world. For those few people who love me, warts and all. This is the edge of my secret garden, you are all welcome and I thank you for being a part of my life.
May your day be inspired and full of peaceful promises.
Heather

Daily Art- New Work- The Blue Pair

The Blue Pair

24″ x 18″ x 2″

Oils

Back stapled, needs no frame, finished sides

Here is the quote for this work:

“I’m Nobody! Who are you?

Are you - Nobody - Too?

Then there’s a pair of us?

Don’t tell!

they’d advertise - you know!”

Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

***

Hello all,

this is my newest work and it’s taken more time because of my work schedule than I thought it would. Funny little blue footed birds, they look like they are having a great time don’t they? I have not painted these birds before so they go into the “Things I’ve Never Done Before” section of my work. They were fun to paint and I hope that shows through.

I have been working hard on re-writing my artist statement, and artist bio. If anyone feels like giving me a review of my new statement and Bio, then you can see it HERE.

You know writing those is hard!!! It’s very important that they be done and done right for every artist. It’s just that I have been putting it off for a year…It took me three days to get the statement to sound and feel right, but I’m still not sure if it is too long still. If you have the time check it out, let me know what you think. I am sick of reading them both.

I’ve got to run, more work to do! This work will be on the website as soon as I finish building a web page for it, it’ll be in the paintings gallery, at the bottom of the page.

Hope all is well in all your worlds,

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

Daily Art- New Work- BAD! kitty longboard #1- OOAK Skate board

Please click on images to enlarge them

‘Bad! Kitty long board #1′

46″ long by 9″ wide

7 ply birch wood long board

Pre-drilled for both older truck styles and the newer ones too.

This is for the board only, you have to supply your own trucks and wheels.

Hand cut Grip Tape, and hand painted back side with triple poly top coat.

***

To see more/Or to buy this one of a kind skate board Click HERE

Here is the quote for this work:

“When fun is outlawed, only outlaws will have fun.”

Brian Brannon

***

OK so if you don’t ride skate boards you may not know what this is or why it’s so special. This is a Long Board, it’s twice/three times the length of a normal skateboard and it will go twice as fast too. This is a professionally made 7 ply birch board which gives it great strength as well as firm flexibility. Let me just tell you I have one that I made for a friend way back…and she loves to hill bomb on hers…but she’s crazy, she says it’s the fastest board she’s ever had. I started buying blanks and painting them a few years back when my oldest son became interested in skateboarding and his chick friends were complaining that there were no cool boards for skater chicks. So, I made a few and they gobbled them up locally.

Then later I found this lot of long boards from a guy that made them for the X-game pros and was getting out of long boards to go into making surf boards and snow boards. I bought a bunch of them just thinking they were cool. My kid was shocked because I guess they are hard to find made with the high quality that I had found. Proof that I am way more cool than he gave me credit for. *Grins*

I have had them for awhile, and not really paid much attention to them after we left the west coast. I have this one and one other blank that I will consider doing as a commission (if you are interested in a custom job let me know the other blank is exactly like this one except it’s not painted or grip taped, yet).

I think this board is Uni-sex…of course that would be up to the buyer…but I know some guys that think it’s funny as hell to ride my boards with BAD! Kitty on them. I admit there are more skater chicks that buy my boards then guys.

The painting on the underside has been protected with lots of poly, but the images on the bottoms of boards take the most abuse and anyone who rides knows that the cool ass graphics on the bottom of your board will only stay “pretty” for a while, then it will be ground off. So…being that I am so smart, I painted this board three times. As the paint and poly are ground off, new parts of the under painting will be revealed. By the time you wear out this board you will have gone through three paintings, which are all inter-related so the artwork will look more cool as it ages.

The hand cut custom grip tape on the top is from tip to bottom and covers all the way to the edge of the board, you won’t find that attention to detail in your local skate shop. (Cutting grip tape, soooo not easy to do with a custom inlay like this one, BTW)

I really enjoy painting boards, it’s functional art that creates fun (and bruises too sometimes) and that is one of a kind. No one will ever have this board but you. Pretty cool huh?

If you have a skater in your home or if you are still on the street yourself, this is a smooth riding, extra strong (will hold a person up to 300 pounds), and fast as hell board. (Look Ma No Gas!)

With the right trucks and wheels you could ride all day and not work too much. That’s why I like the long boards myself, they go like a bat out of hell, but you don’t have to push off so much and all it takes is a little lean and it turns and maneuvers extremely well. Now I don’t do tricks or anything, I’m a simple rider, but like I said this board is excellent for hill bombing, street riding, and makes you look like a bad ass when you can drop in on a 46″ long board.

I hope you are all having a great day, and thanks for reading.

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

Daily art- New Work- Fracture Point

Full painting

Eye Detail

Nose & Mouth detail

‘Fracture Point’

18″ x 24″ x 2″ (extra thick box canvas)

Back stapled, needs no frame, ready to hang

To see more about/ Or to buy this work Click HERE

Here is the quote that inspired the work:

“The soul-which I’m defining as our capacity for these deeply positive human qualities-is something that, in most of us, desperately needs to be developed. Too many of us live in a fractured state, deeply divided against ourselves-often far more so than we are aware of or able to feel. We exist in a self-generated vacuum of moral ambiguity, where everything is relative and our attention is focused mainly on our emotional state. Most of us know a lot more about what really matters than we are willing to live up to. Indeed, we are attracted to that which is beautiful, profound, and meaningful but find ourselves lacking the soul strength to really struggle, to engage in a life-and-death wrestling match with our own division, cynicism, and inertia. The awful truth is that it is just easier for us not to care that much. In order to care that much, we have to be willing to feel a connection with life that is so deep that it hurts. We have to be ready to step onto the field of our own experience in a way that is authentic, unconditional, and deeply committed-to embrace a kind of fearless vulnerability where our transparency is our strength and the living experience of connection is permanent, unbroken, and inescapable.”

Andrew Cohen

***

‘Fracture Point’ is about the emotional attachment to the world of things. I had the chance just last night (at 2 am in the morning in fact) to learn again how to let go of things that do not define me as a human being. I am a very light sleeper, and I have insomnia that is very problematic. So getting a good nights sleep for me is crucial to my everyday emotional landscape. (It also helps to keep people from getting blow torched by my bad moods because I am over tired). OK, long story short…

The doorbell rings at 2 am, it’s the Repo guy here to take back the car that we can’t pay for since Mate Man lost his job three months back now. Was I ashamed or shamed in any way that my car was being repossessed? Not at all. Why would I be?

The guy wanted to know if we needed to get anything from the car before he took it. We told him no, gave him the keys and said thanks. He was shocked, I imagine in his line of work people don’t usually respond in a helpful manner to him taking their car in the middle of the night. In the south, you might even get shot having such a job. After that I could not go back to sleep and I had already started this work, so I thought why not finish it? I mean while I have the emotional learning thing going on. So, we lost a car, not the worst thing that could happen. Not at all. Now I have less overhead with the cost of the car and more room in my driveway. All good things. Credit destruction…I laugh at that…I have not had good credit in so long that I don’t remember what that was even like. I don’t use credit for the most part in my life anyway, I work on a cash basis, so it’s not the worst thing ever. When we lost our farm and business 6 years back we had no debt except for the home and business loans…so when we went under, so did our credit rating. Whatever.

I kept working on my painting, letting the shock of being woke up in that manner seep out of me. I realized that I was creating a work to heal myself before I “knew” that I would need the healing.

I am what I am. I am OK and I am enough. I painted Fracture Point to remind myself, that the world only has power over my life, if I let it. I have the ability to take something that looks broken on the outside and make it a thing of beauty even in it’s imperfection.

Life is hard. Death I don’t fear, it’s the living that sometimes scares me to death. LOL So, I paint it out. I paint out the fear. I paint out the conclusions. I paint out the discovery. I paint out the love. Let me make it clear…

I paint out the love.

I paint to remember that the opposite of fear is not courage, it’s love. I am what I am, I do what I want and I will not hide that truth. I am whole and I am fractured too. It’s the way we put it all together that makes it [a life] a thing of beauty, or a train wreck. I am all about the beauty.

I hope you are all having a great day, and thanks for reading.

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

Daily Art- New Works- Small Sculptures

‘Imagine Love’

Fine Art polymer clay sculpture, an art magnet if you will

3.5″ across and 4.5″ length wise

It has super powerful ceramic magnets securely attached to the backside. Art for anyplace you can stick it.

To See More/ or to buy this work Click HERE

This work is deeply brown. I have glazed it with vintage Aztec brown ink and then embellished with oil paints. A little silver reminder of Imagine Love never hurt any body.

Fun, durable and one of a kind.

‘It’s just a phase’

Fine Art mini sculpture with magnets

3″ wide by 4″ long

To see more/or to buy this work Click Here

The same process as above was used for this work. Fun and strong little works of art.

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

Daily Art- New Work- Atomic Age

‘Atomic Age’

24″ x 30″

oils, acrylics, vintage inks, collage and mixed media

Back stapled canvas, finished sides, ready to hang

***

The quote on the work reads:

“In this era of world wars, in this atomic age, values have changed.

We have learned that we are guests of existence,

travelers between two stations. We must discover security within ourselves.”

~unknown

***

‘Atomic Age’ is a work that started as a collage with acrylics. The more elements I found that I liked within the collage, the more paint got added in. Near the end of the work, I wanted a deeper, more textured feeling, so I switched to thin layers of oil glazes, reds, purples, yellows, and golds. When that was dry I applied a fine crackle finish to some of the elements and let that dry. I intended to come back over the crackle with some shoe polish, but thought I liked it as is. The color in this work turned out to be hard to capture on digital because it’s deep and ever changing, I used interference powders in some of the layers. I have at least 20 layers of transparent colors within this work, and the textures are subtle, so it really glows in real life. I mean it GLOWS and Shimmers, it’s a must see in person.

Of course, this work is about my need for security for myself and my family…in this insecure world. We can’t find job security, costs of living are sky rocketing, with no increase to family salaries. For some of us we don’t even have the security of people in our lives, we have become fractured to the point that families don’t stay together through marriages…let alone generations living together to raise whole units of healthy people. We have human warehouses for our elderly, we have single parents trying to be everything to their children while under employeed, we have no health care, we have debt that is a never ending monster, we have children raising themselves in a world that tells them, “you will be fine, if you just sell your soul, and don’t try to think too much.” and we have the global environment’s crashing down upon our ears. Many of us are thinking that Y2K was a warm up for what is coming down the pike. Many of us are questioning things like, Will I be able to continue to afford to go to work when gas costs 5 times what it does now, in the next five years? Will I be able to afford food when it costs 5 times more and my income has stayed the same? What if I can’t find/keep a job? Will I be ready for those real possibilities? We as a family have planted a garden, we are loosing one of our vehicles because we can’t afford it, we are reducing and re-using everything we can, we are buying and eating less food, we are planning for an unknown future. It’s hard and we are all dealing with it in some form or fashion. Each of us, collectively. It’s reality.

It’s a crazy mixed up world…and this work is about putting those feelings into a work that uplifts, gives hope and reminds you of your own personal happiness…that it is your responsibility in this life . Not your partners, your friends, your families, not the worlds, not your past experiences…not your therapists. No one is responsible for your personal well being and happiness but you. You won’t find it out there [in the world, it's things, it's addictions, it's shiny, shiny things, we can not save ourselves through consumerism, we can not buy our way out of this recession] you find it inside yourself. Personal accountability is hard to do…it requires a constant vigilance and commitment to living in the moment. It ain’t easy folks, but it can be done. Yes, it can be done. This work is about letting the addiction of living in either the good old days [or the bad ones] and also not living in the future fantasy days that we are positive thinking about all the time. It’s time for real change. We can not find world peace unless we start with creating peace within ourselves. Then it’s like a virus, peace and self love, healthy inclusive love, it can spread.

Change happens. It’s up to us to make the most of it. One person can change the world. Let it start with me. Let it start with you, in this atomic age, let the change start with us.

***

I hope you all have a happy Friday, thanks for reading.

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

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daily art- new work- identity

‘Identity’

18″ x 24″ x 2″

Oils and mixed media

Painted sides on extra thick canvas, ready to hang

Here are the quotes for this work:

***

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”

Louisa May Alcott

***

Most of all we hate collective identity: every day of your pathetic life you are being put into a little box by society by the way you look or the bands you listen to. Collective identity sucks. Be an individual, don’t make it easy to be dismissed in a sentence

Matt Spin

***

It’s been a very busy couple of weeks, and school is in it’s last week for the year. Identity started as a moment of drawing…it just happened. I have all these old pictures of women posing….and I found one similar to this and just felt like drawing, so I used it as a model. I was working at the time so I just drew and talked on the phone and didn’t think too much.

Later when I started painting in much the same way…she started coming to life for me. In her hand she’s holding a perfect little silver face. (It’s pure silver from a jewelry maker I found and bought some unfinished bits from) I’ve had it forever and when I re-found it…I knew it belonged in this work. From start to finish this work was done in little spurts. It took about 7 days to finish that way, but hey…I got it done. Thing is, aside from some small critical things that I see myself, I think it’s a strong work. And…to beat all…something I’ve never done before. I got the feeling I wanted and I did it when I thought I could not possibly find the time to get it done. Cool beans.

Letting go of expectations of how it’s all got to be just so…well, it liberated a new type of work from me. I think that’s pretty neat, and I find that the further down the rabbit hole I go, within myself…the more I like it. The pyramid said one morning over coffee…”Pssst, I’m not a mountain I am a Pyramid.” OK…pooof, you are a pyramid. The trees didn’t want to be fussed up with leaves, they were a little bossy one night after the dinner dishes were done. Her dress and Red Drape talked in my dreams for two nights before I committed to color choices. OY! Fashion, what a pain in the butt. I love the way they turned out though, the cloak is red like you would not believe and three dimensional, I piled it on thick. You can see it moving in the breeze.

I’ve had to adjust to not being able to work as fast and as often as I was. Being the bread winner is hard work, I honestly don’t know how Mate Man puts up with it like he does. He has always worked, always. Not having a job is driving him bat shit. I can tell you we have the best looking and most weed free organic garden….ever on the planet. Lord I love that man. It’ll turn around for him again, hopefully before he goes crazy. LOL

So this work is about living your life the best you can every single day, and having faith that it’s what you do to become who you are that matters. In the long run…don’t sweat the small stuff. Just keep swimming.

I hope you are enjoying your day, thanks for reading.

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

Daily Art- Ego Death

‘Ego Death’

18″ x 24″

oils

sides painted black no frame needed

To see more/or to buy this work Click HERE

***

As I search for meaning in my humble life I have fallen into several pits that threaten to trap me in a tar like form of living.

The biggest Beast by far is my own Ego.

Meditation on the subject of how to have

Less Suffering and Torment

in my everyday living has led me to come to understand the important role that Ego plays in the discomfort of living at 100%.

If I am truly giving 100+% to my life and work, then I must learn to push aside the Ego.

Creating room inside my soul for the beauty of success and failure.

I must create a space where judgement and fear do not live. I must make room for my true self; make room for the lightness of being.

That is what this work is about.

Making room for the beauty of living a whole life with a whole heart.

This is a work of manifestation; of the life I am leading and the life I am leaving behind.

Here is the quote that inspired the work,

***

“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It’s very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”

~Deepak Chopra

***

This work is done in five colors: Ivory black, french ultramarine, titanium white, Payne’s gray and brilliant turquoise. I look forward to releasing this emotion and lesson into the world.

Live Bold and Free today.

***

Honor those who fought and died for that freedom.

Thank you to my (best Grampa in the world) Grandfather for fighting in World War 2, and then again in Korea. Thank you to all the Vet’s from Vietnam.

Thank you to all the Vet’s from the First Gulf War.

Thank you to all our fighting Men and Woman

Struggling to stay alive in the war we are not having right now, may each of you come home safe to your loved ones soon. Thank you for your commitment still today.

Thank you for my freedom to say and pray as I see fit.

Thank you for your service. I hope every person takes a moment in their day today to think and remember our fallen Heroes and Heroins.

Thank you, from one American to another, one Human to another,

I humbly say Thank you.

With A Whole Heart,

Heather

www.badkittyartstudio.com

Daily Art- Surrender from the choir series

Close up

Sorry for the small thumbnails! Please click on images to enlarge them!

‘Surrender’ From the choir series #8

24″ X 36″

oils

ready to hang, needs no frame

Gallery wrapped/back stapled

To see more about this work please click Here

***

Here are the two quotes for this work.

(it’s a big work, it needed more words before

it would shape up and fly right):
***
Self-interest is but the survival of the animal in us.
Humanity only begins for man with self-surrender.Henri Frederic Amiel (1821 - 1881)
***
Everything is on its way to becoming something else, and therefore, nothing can be held onto. If you see this clearly, if you consider and examine this deeply and fully, then letting go is the only thing left to do. How can you hold on? What is there to hold onto? So the art of spiritual surrender is really the art of not knowing. Then it doesn’t make any difference at all whether you are walking down the street or eating lunch or responding to your email or making love or sitting alone on your couch. This is the first and last time you will ever be doing this. If you truly understand that, it changes everything.

Scott Morrison

***

Good Friday all!

I have been so crazy busy this last week. I do have a new work that is coming along. I hope to finish it this loooong weekend, so maybe I can show it to you all by early next week. It’s supposed to be nice weather here in the Bluegrass, so we will be gardening, playing with the kids, and taking siestas on the back porch.

I hope everyone has a great Holiday weekend, be safe!

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

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and see what stirs your soul today.

This is my 965th post! Daily Art- Dreaming Summer

Full painting

Close up

Close up

Close up

“Dreaming Summer” from the Choir Series #10

18″ x 24″

Original Oil Painting

Finished Sides, ready to hang

To see more/Buy this Art Work Click Here

International buyers are always welcome, please email me HERE for a free shipping quote to anywhere in the world.

***

Here is the quote that helped the work along:

I paint not by sight but by faith. Faith gives you sight.

~Amos Ferguson

***

This work took some time to tell me when she was ready to be finished. Small details is all she asked for and that’s what I gave her. The textures in the background and the green foreground are subtle, but vital to the energy of the work. Her wings are stilling themselves from her flight so are slightly blurred. Her gown brings the fiery reds and deep oranges of the “anything is possible” of an Indian Summer. She smells of fresh cut grass, sunshine on the lavender fields and the earthy dust of opportunity.

She reminds me that this is not the time to trap myself within virtue. I do not need to be caught on the treadmill of doing what is “right”, I must release my expectations of what I am learning, and allow the growth to happen. Transition isn’t supposed to feel good, or none of us would ever make it through it at all. I am what I am, I am doing what I need to be doing, and the Universe will provide the necessary synchronicities to happen as I continue my act of spiritual faith in myself and the greater power of the Original Creator, faith that I can channel that creative energy, faith that I can use it for good in my life and in every life I may touch, or know; faith in the love for every living thing. I accept what I am asking for, I will work hard, remain true to myself and look no gift horse in the mouth.

So be it.

May your day be filed with turquoise possibilities and golden opportunities.

Heather

http://www.badkittyartstudio.com

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