Just Mary Designs

Who are you?  Jackie by day, Marilyn by night?  I think as women all of us struggle at times to define not only our own personal style, but fundamentally who we actually are.  We are taught as little girls to be cute, and good, and quiet.  We are told as women to be bold and to own our power.  Somewhere in between is probably who we really are! Jackie by Day - that means to me being classy and elegant.  Polished and professional.  Handling life with grace and calm.  Being responsible.  Getting things done.  Feeling satisfied with a hard days work.  Smart and subtle clothing.  Matching shoes and purses. Marilyn by Night - that means to me being bold and daring.  Living it up.  Wild fun.  Chasing boys.  Sparkly clothes.  Plunging necklines.  Short skirts.  A little naughty and a lotta sassy. I am very sure that the soul of Mary Sterk lands somewhere right in between - a mix that is unique to me.  Just Mary.  Who are you?

Towards the end of last year I started an e-course called the Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design.  This was put on by the very talented Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicholls.  One of the key things we focused on was really zeroing in on what your signature style is.  I must admit I was kind of skeptical at first - mostly not believing I actually HAD as signature style.  Turns out I do! One of the exercises that really helped me define it was creating a Pattern Love Board.  What I learned was that my style generally has elements of 4 things - Swirls, Curvy Silhouettes, Floral, or Brightly Colored Symmetrical patterns.  Below is my board - I hope you have as much fun looking at it as I did creating it!

She was ready to bloom.  But not just bloom into a lovely small flower.  She was ready to bloom big.  Bigger than life.  She craved a big life full of adventure, romance, and fabulous experiences.  She was ready to live a big life.  Are you?

I found an awesome site - all of you word lovers will be in pure bliss!  It is wordle.net.  You can put in a series of words and it will create a word picture for you.  You can even put in a website or blog and it will pull words from that url and make your Wordle picture.  You can change themes, size, shape and color.  I think this is so fun!!!  And it is free!!! This wordle is from my art blog, Just Mary Designs.  I love seeing what words jumped out!

I read about the idea to choose one word to be MY word for the year.  It didn't take me long to choose one.  My word for 2012 is "RADIANT".  Why Radiant?  Because I need to tune back in to my own radiance.  And in shining within my own radiance, that will inspire others to shine themselves.  And that matters to me. If I embraced the word Radiant daily, if I truly lived that word, I think my world would change.  I think I would buy into my own power more.  I would trust my own strength to carry me through the stressful times.  Right now when I am stressed, I eat.  I think that if I lived radiantly, I would not harm myself that way and I would walk my way through stress.  I believe that living a radiant life means getting to my natural weight....and staying there. If I lived radiantly I think I would feel more energy, more connection with the universe, more connection with others.  I think I would be more productive and accomplish more things.  If I believe in my own radiance, and am more accepting of myself, I will become more accepting and loving of others. I also believe that Radiance will attract Radiance.  Living a Radiant life will draw me towards other radiant things that will enhance and empower my world.  And I think being Radiant will show up in my art work.  It will create its own beauty as it shines through me. So cheers to 2012 and to my word!!  RADIANT!!!!  

Bon voyage is a French phrase literally meaning "good journey", and usually translated as meaning "have a good trip".   As we wave goodbye to 2011 and welcome in in 2012 I can't help but wonder - Where will this journey take us next? In 2011 I had no idea there would be a massive flood that would cause me to evacuate my home and my office.  I wonder what will happen within my home in 2012? In 2011 I had no idea that painting would become such a passion and I would begin to create in new and wonderful ways.  I wonder what I will create in 2012? In 2011 I had no idea that I would start an art blog.  I wonder what e-artsyness will happen in 2012? In 2011 I had no idea that I would meet the love of my life.  I wonder where that relationship will go in 2012? In 2011 I had no idea that I would soon become a grandmother (yikes - am I that old?!?).  I wonder what it will be like to meet my grandson in 2012? I wish you all Bon Voyage as you set to enter the next phase of your own journey!!

I've always been attracted to the look of a classy woman.  You know what I am talking about.  The kind that even looks like a million bucks when walking through a crowded airport.  I notice them while I am walking through the terminal in my lulu lemon yoga pants.  I think that Jackie O had the most fabulous sense of style.  When I wear a dress reminiscent of her style, I immediately feel classier.  Timeless class -  what does that mean to you?

We all want to fly.  Sometimes it is a dream that we hope takes flight.  Sometimes it is physically getting onto an airplane to fly to an exotic vacation.  Sometimes I see a bird riding on the crest of the wind and I wish I had that freedom of flight. I saw this video and watched with open mouth.  What an amazing display of flight.  You have to take a look at it.  Then you may be inspired to find your own different way to fly. Inspired by the teaching of Christy Tomlinson.

Lately I have been working my way through an e-course by Rachael Taylor called Surface Pattern Design.  It has opened my eyes to a whole realm in the art world that I have never been exposed to before! Among the many great things I learned was how to take a simple drawing and turn it into a motif inside Photoshop. Then I learned how to change its color, copy it, and play with patterning.  This is the first one I made!  Super Fun! See how simply changing the background color alters the feel and mood of the whole design?  Who knew!  I'm having a blast playing with it!

It's the hap - happiest time...of the year!  I made a goal to create my first piece of Holiday artwork....and here you go! I started out thinking it would evolve into something with hanging ornaments.  Guess not!  That is the magic of art for me - sometimes things take a direction both unexpected and delightful! I used a shape cutter and made some different sized star masks to create the tree.  The paint is semi-translucent.  Before it dried I added a little glitter.  It looks so sparkly on my mantle! From my house to yours - I wish you happy holidays and a season full of touches of magic!