There are so many different things that I love to create!  Jewelry, photography, drawings, ceramic sculptures, polymer clay goodies and several other things peak my interest. And what I have noticed over the past couple of years is that I don't have one set focus.  One minute I love this, the next minute I love something else. However, all of my different hobbies, interests, and skill sets always have one common denominator...Mother Nature!  The Great Outdoors have inspired me as far back as I can remember! I remember being 7 or 8 years old and spending hours upon hours playing outside, and I was completely mesmerized by all of the interesting creatures outside.  I would climb this huge tree next to our house, and watch all the bugs crawl on or around me. I felt ONE with my surroundings. I felt like I truly belonged in that tree. I wanted to live among the animals and wake up with them by my side.  We lived in front of a field, and occasionally horses would trample by or cows would look over at me from the other side of the fence. I always wanted to have conversations with them, and I wished they would talk to me about anything. It's not like I didn't have friends or was a lonely child, because I had a playmate 24/7 if I felt like playing with my sister.  I just wanted to be out there with all of the creatures.  There was also a very large turtle that had an underground home in the sandy yard of our Florida home, and I used to sit outside of his buried home and patiently wait for him to emerge. Even though my presence kept him down there, I was still hopeful to just catch a glimpse of his big smiling face. I remember being very curious about where all the underground holes led to.  I imagined tiny underground lunchrooms and play areas for the baby insects or animals, and little home-made beds for them to sleep on at night. I tried to camp outside at night all the time, but was constantly reminded to come inside to sleep so I wouldn't get eaten alive by mosquitoes. 

What is the point of all these memories? Well this is a realization for me. I have finally realized that my yearning to be one with nature, always surrounding myself with beautiful hidden getaways, and this huge desire to connect with the Earth serves as my MAIN inspiration for my art.  I have always known that Mother Earth has served as a major inspiration for me, but I am just now realizing that it is the driving force for almost everything I do in life. I love our life here on Earth, I love all of it's creatures, and I plan to share my reflection of this wonderful experience with you.  Please keep your eyes peeled for my ART section to become filled with more Art from the Earth.   

I was scrolling through one of my favorite nutrition websites and came across another great post by Dr. Michael Greger.  Since it is October and everything is all about the tatas this month, I figured I would share some information regarding breast cancer PREVENTION. As I was scrolling through the article about the difference between thermography and mamograms, another link came to my attention. This write-up was about the connection between breast cancer and the food we consume.

It turns out vegetables can be protective against breast cancer cells, and the most useful veggies include: broccoli, cabbage, kale, garlic, leeks, and onions.  As always, you can research more nutrition information from one of the best Health/Nutrition Resources on the web at: 

WWW.NUTRITIONFACTS.ORG

http://www.spreecast.com/events/free-30-minute-intro-yoga-webcast

Please join in on the fun with me this Friday evening!! I will be walking you through a 30 minute beginner's yoga class to help you unwind from your busy week. This will be a free live webcast from me to all of you, and it will be my first trial run to see how it goes.  So, enjoy the rest of your week and I look forward to seeing you all on Friday night!! 

P.S. *I do not have a sound-proof room in my apartment, so I will apologize in advance for any outside noise that might happen during this event. Also, the event time will start at 7:00pm Eastern Standard Time.* 

This is a fun photo of a blast from the past!! I made these metal pendants and bracelet in my Intro to Jewelry class in college. We learned to solder, cut and shape metal, rivets, making jump rings, oxidizing, pickling, and polishing by hand and on the polishing wheel. Intro to Jewelry was such a great class, and I was able to apply these useful skills later on when benchwork jeweler at NightRider Jewelry. If there is something you love doing as a hobby and want to learn more about it, I encourage you to sign up for a workshop or class on that topic. It definitely changed my life for the better. and I'm sure it will benefit you as well.

Well, Monday is finally here!!!! I know, I have a little bit too much excitement for a Monday afternoon, but there is something to be excited about.  Today I have decided to giveaway an original abstract watercolor portrait! This piece of art will definitely be a topic of conversation at your next house party. This 8x10 image, made to fit in a 11x14 frame, is an example of a blind drawing that was later filled in with color. (The image shown online has be edited to protect from piracy. Actual coloring and clarity will be more clear in the original artwork.)

If you are interested in winning this FREE piece of art today, then please follow these two simple rules: 

1. LIKE this actual BLOG post by clicking the social icons at the bottom of the posting. AND...

2. COMMENT below with your favorite color!  (the comments are open and you do not need to login)

And that's all you need to do! This time tomorrow I will announce the winner of this week's Fine Art Giveaway!