I love summer, but...

...It would really be better if palm trees looked like this:




I'm just sayin'.

(I took these in Newport Beach, CA.)

But, you're an artist!!

Interesting responses I have heard from others in the last week:

Ugh, shouldn't have worn flip-flops. I feel under-dressed. "But, you're an artist!!"

Too much caffeine. Need wine. Can't have wine, it's 2 in the afternoon. "But, you're an artist!!"

Actually, I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. "But, you're an artist!!"

All in one week.

This led me to consider all the possibilities. I wonder what other "quirks" I can start blaming on being an artist. I say, everything.

Voyage . 12x16 inches . 2008

(shown in artificial lighting and in total darkness.)

Ingredients: acrylic, candle wax, beach sand, crushed sea shells, glass, phosphorescent pigments, varnish, water & light on canvas.

This piece was so waxy that the paint and varnish refused to stick. It took many, many, many, many, many different attempts to make it work. After that, I had fun melting it again. Woo!

Pronounce it however you prefer, but in my mind, this is said more like the French way. Voy-ahhhhhj. Yep.

The full listing of Voyage is now on Etsy.

10 years of Love

I am so honored to have received this book. Acres of Love is celebrating their 10th anniversary, and commemorated the occasion with this amazing book about what they do every day in South Africa. Thanks so much to everyone at Acres!

Please take a moment to enjoy this with me. :o)





"South Africa has been referred to as the "rainbow nation," a title reflecting the country's highly diverse population and culture. The hand-woven, beaded spine of this brochure was created by a South African Zulu artisan to represent that diversity and the bright spirit of its people."

This is pretty intense:


Some of the gorgeous and amazing pages in the book:





INCREDIBLE: Read about the miracle story of Kitty, "...the only person in the world known to have survived both cancer and HIV." (click the image to enlarge text.)



I'm not just saying this, I really do believe that the kids at Acres of Love are the most beautiful I've ever seen. :o)

Aww. Cutie.

As you're probably already aware, I'm in complete love with this organization. I feel so fortunate to have been told about them, and donating 10% of my art sales to them is one of the happiest things I do in my life. I'm just thrilled to be a part of something so incredibly profound.

I strongly encourage you to check out their website at Acres of Love to learn more about them. They create miracles every day.

:o)

Almost

This painting was made with a lot of quiet contemplation. A LOT.



I labored over every step. I think I've been painting this since October. No, September. That was when I did my first study on it. Wow.



Sometimes it takes awhile.

Beauteous

Another awesome art piece from Interrupt. :o) This is called Nova Palette, and is available as an 8x10 print in his Etsy shop.

It might be my new favorite. :oD

Lazy Days

I wish I could say I've been enjoying a long list of exciting summer activities, but that's not really the case. I am, however, nearly out of my supply of small canvases just in time for the semi-annual Aaron Bros. 1 cent canvas sale!! Timed perfectly.

I actually just started a brand new 24x36 (woo!) so perhaps I can get through my supply of large canvases before their next sale in January. This might require an incredible amount of coffee.

New addiction: Hawaii Webcams.

I consider this "work-related" because it truly, legitimately inspires me. Inspires/distracts. One of those.

Heh.

Far Away . 18x24 inches . 2008

1. natural light
2. artificial light
3. artificial and UV light combined
4. UV light only
5. no light (total darkness)

Ingredients: acrylic, beach sand, varnish, phosphorescent pigments, glass, water & light.

The title is from the song I walked down the aisle to at my wedding, Over the Hills and Far Away. This piece was painted purely because I was inspired to do so. It is not for sale. I painted it for Colin and I. :o) It took me awhile, I suppose because I was attaching a lot of romance and emotion to it, which is fine. I love taking time to do art for art's sake.

It's funny, the light itself on our wedding day ended up being a character in the ceremony. The drive from downtown Kailua-Kona to Waialea Bay was about 45 minutes, and we were racing a storm the entire way. Everyone was sure the wedding, at sunset, would be cloudy and rainy.

Somehow though, a mysterious force seemed to halt the approaching clouds, despite their darkness and massiveness. They slowed to a stop right before the beach we married on, and held off until we were gone. The few clouds that broke through made for an incredible sunset, and caused the light on the beach to glow a gorgeous lavender and orange. For the last half of the ceremony, the sunrays burst through the clouds and touched the ocean below.

You read into that whatever you want. I know we do.


(This piece is not for sale, although the matching Color Study is still available in my Etsy shop.)

Because I know you like winning money.

Okay, well *I* like winning money, I'm assuming you do too.



So remember last year when Colin and I won a couple grand on Blingo?

Well, I didn't actually tell you the whole story. The truth is, after we won that time, I actually won $1000 two more times. Separately. From different people. Yes, you math whizzes, that's 4 thousand dollars. FROM BLINGO.

I kid you not.

Anyway, since I haven't mentioned it in awhile, I thought I should encourage everyone to sign up if you haven't already. Even though I haven't won a thousand bucks lately, I have won a whole bunch of $5 Amazon gift certificates, which add up after awhile and make things like this $74 Zojirushi Hot Pot more like $40. Score!

All you have to do to win? Put search words in a search engine. Sounds too good to be true, but I swear to you, IT'S TRUE! It's too simple not to do and I speak from experience:

Totally worth it.

Maybe I Could Fly

[and forget the sadness of this last week...]



High Flight, by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark nor even eagle flew—

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

The painting is Maybe I Could Fly, (14x11 inches) shown here in natural light, and glowing in the dark. Currently available in my Etsy shop.

Off to a mansion filled with sunny windows and house plants.

Meat was not a cat. I don't know exactly what sort of rare, mythological creature he actually was, but he wasn't a cat.



I am very sad.

Couple of new 8x10s

A String of Pearls & Haze

Available now on Etsy, where you can also see each painting in all 5 lighting conditions. (They both glow extremely well. A String of Pearls even glows during the daytime.)

Both are shown here in UV light. :o)

We're live in 3.. 2.. 1..

www.shaylamaddox.com

Parts of it have sort of been "up" for awhile if you happened to click the link over to the right there, but I wasn't officially debuting it until it was done. Isn't it pretty? Colin made it for me. I'm thrilled with it. It now includes links to my blog and Etsy shop, as well as a beautiful new gallery and About Me page. Finally! I'm so happy with it.

Please go check it out and celebrate its existence with me. Yay!

Exciting times ahead. :o)

If only I was still this cute.

My mom was the first artist in my life. She, however, paints sunflowers. Millions and millions of sunflowers.



We're almost done with the fancy shmancy new website. :o) I feel all pro now. (Mostly because I'm married to a professional graphic designer who decks me out with professional looking materials.) :oD

Soon. Very soon. :o) I'm leveling up right now.

It's here.

June.

I used to think I was one of those people that adored winter, and rain, and coldness.

Totally wrong.

(plumeria shadow on my balcony)

June has a unique color. I think it's green. I have a swirling head of sunshine and trees and fireflies and moonlight. Colin said to me today, "It's June! Your favorite painting month." For at least 3 years now, I have felt incredibly inspired and creative in June. I have ended up keeping the large scale paintings I was working on during the previous 2 Junes. Well, the last one, Colin forbid me to sell. But, I completely agree with him.

I love you, June.

It's been a pretty great week. I have awesome collectors. I get giddy when people share in my enthusiasm. I'm enthusiastic about my art, because I love doing it, and whenever I finish a painting, I feel like I'm 5 years old and I just colored the COOLEST page in the My Little Pony coloring book EVER.