"Sense and Sensibility" Mixed Media Painting by Heather Saulsbury

I finally finished this piece!  Yeah!  I felt like I was stretching myself a little with this one and experimenting with a few new things.
I love the look of faces in mixed media.  I think it is so charming but I don't feel like i have the skills to paint a face from scratch so when I read that people were picking faces out of magazines to use as there base and just painting over them, it was a "ah ha" moment.  I decided I would rather have a face of someone I love then a stranger so I picked my niece for this one.  I also have not painted on a slab of wood yet so I found a piece in my garage, primed it with gesso and went from there.  I wanted to try the wood because I also wanted to experiment with a different hanger then my traditional back of the canvas ones.  In the picture you can see I have hung it from wire and ribbon.  I also added little charms and beads to the hanger.
I am really pleased with this.  It has that fun whimsical feel that I was going for.  I put the words "Sometimes I leave my Sense and Sensibility at home" to tie in the book pages I used for background and to let you know that its okay to go out and play even when it seems you are to old for it.

Keeping a Journal of how I promote my Artwork

Last year I started keeping little notes of things I did to promote myself in a daily planner nobody was using. I updated it about once a week and it was really nice to look back on to see all that I put into promoting my artwork.
This year I got myself a much prettier planner so it could sit next to my computer (so I would remember to write things down) and I could keep notes of paintings, their sizes, where I posted them, who I shared with and all sorts of things.  It is working out really well because the front is a daily planner and the back has lots of space for notes.  I try to promote myself at least 4 days out of the week.  I like to post new images on Fine Art America, share my work progress on twitter and be very active on Google+.  I also like to share my new works on Facebook and update my blog.  I know it’s a complicated world online but because of the interactions I have with such nice people I feel really great about my art.  Each positive response encourages me to create more.  The journal of art activity lets me know that I am getting stuff done, even if it doesn't feel like it.  I have decided that one day my persistence will pay off, so I keep being persistent.

To Push or Not to Push, That is the question

I got my kickstarter project launched and I am off to a slow start.  I spread the word around all of my social sites but didn’t get much response.  I don’t want to over post and be annoying but I don’t want to under post it and have people not see it.  I find it’s a very fine line between sharing and annoying with your own stuff.   I hope to find some middle ground and get the word spread without bothering anyone.  I am very excited about this and I hope other people sense my enthusiasm.

I got some new supplies today to continue working on my illustration.  I love new supplies, they also seem to give me a little more inspiration.  Sometimes I like to organize my supplies so that I can revisit all the cool stuff I forgot I had.  I am pretty excited about the new paint brushes my mom got for me.  I am going to experiment with them and see what happens.

Project Launched!!! Yeah!

I just hit the launch bottom on my Kickstart project and I am feeling a little light headed.  I am so excited about this project but I feel like I just put my heart out there for the world to see and make judgment on.  I know it probably sounds a little strange but I get a bit emotional when I talk about my dad and this project is all about my dad.  He has been gone awhile now but I miss him everyday.  I kind of always feel like he is watching over me.  It is a personal project and I sure people will be kind but there is still a little flutter and also a big relief to finally get it out there.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/310408402/the-boy-who-saved-his-wish-a-book-for-children

Video Production has Begun

I started creating my video for Kickstarter today and I think it is going really well.  I had quite a few ideas of what I wanted to do and most of them didn't seem to work out but some of them worked out better then expected.  I feel like I should add a blooper reel to the end of my video.  It a serious thing to ask for support but on the other hand I'm not really a serious person and I love gag reels.  I might just do it for the laugh. I am trying to publish a story my dad wrote before he passed away.  Every time I started to talk about him being gone I would tear up and I just don't want to make people sad while they watch my video.  I don't mind sharing my emotions but I don't know how comfortable I feel pulling on other peoples emotions.  I used to hate those late night commercials that would tug on your heart strings but I am sure it is a proven fundraising technique for some.  Another reason I am happy about the decision my hubby and I made to get rid of cable TV.

Yes I did it!

I would like to introduce you to your worst enemy.  The one thing that leaps at you first thing in the morning, the one that shouts at you when you think of veering off the chosen path, the one that heckles you when you decide to go big and your worst enemy has a name and its fear.  Fear of trying, fear of not trying, fear of changing,  fear of staying the same, fear of adventure fear of boredom, fear of being noticed, fear of be ignored.  The problem with fear is that it sits on both sides of the fence.  It hopes back and forth like a cricket, jumping in front of you at every decision.  Fear lurks in your mind and soul waiting to eat away at your very existence.
  We are not born with fear; we are taught fear from our parents.  It is disguised at parental concern but its really a introduction to fear.  We are taught to fear the unknown, the different, and the unfamiliar and use extreme caution about anything that is not familiar.  If a baby really knew fear then he wouldn’t learn.  A baby would not learn to try new foods, because he was afraid it would taste bad.  He would not learn to crawl because he would be afraid of what’s around the corner, He wouldn’t learn to walk because he would be afraid of falling.  We are born with the natural ability to wonder about things, to explore and to take on adventures.  It is not until we are accidentally taught to worry or fear things that we start to bury our need for adventure and exploring.  Fear is cocoon we wrap ourselves in that feels safe and warm.  It is also the very thing that holds us back from bursting out and becoming something new and beautiful.

When you confront your enemy and realize that the strings that bind you are simple threads that can be cut away easily then you start to conquer your fear.  When you block out the voice of fear in your head you start to come alive.  When you realize life is a grand adventure just waiting for you jump on then you have confronted your worst enemy and won the battle of a lifetime.  Your reward is the experience of new and wonderful things, the joy of the unknown and the knowledge that you were brave enough to face your worst enemy and walk away with your hands in the air shouting “YES I DID IT”

Written by Heather Saulsbury
Published in Enemies by Whatcom Writes

I wrote this essay for a local writing contest and got to read to a crowd tonight.  I am not fond of public speaking but I thought I should do based on my subject matter.  It went well and it was a lot of fun.  There was a ton of butterflies but I stayed upright.

Today is the Day things get Started

I worked on my illustrations for my Dad's story and things went really well.  Each scene seems to be coming to life under my paintbrush.  Today we set up a big board to start to organize the words and the pictures.  I am not sure how many illustrations I have to do but I thought I would create them in order so the story is easier to complete.  Here is a picture of the little boy in our story.