because i'm spray paint happy

i love spray painting. i love upcycling everyday regular household items. including an old polaroid camera that i bought for my daughter 6 years ago. because it was a Barbie® polaroid camera, she clearly grew out of it. so what to do? i tried selling it on eBay, only to have it go unsold for over a month. so i tried something else, i spray painted it yellow. well, after that, i became hooked! once i saw how cool it looked, sitting on my stack of IKEA shelves, i knew this was my "calling."

after that, i scoured the local goodwill stores and eco thrifts, looking for anything i could get my hands on and spray paint. i have even spray painted bronze candlesticks, bust statues and old retro sports trophies. then, an idea came over me. why not try to sell these upcycled products in my Etsy shop. what did i have to lose? the "overhead" cost was hardly anything since i was purchasing the original, unpainted products from secondhand stores, so it was a win-win situation.

although i haven't struck it rich (yet), i enjoy doing it. the downside is keeping these items stocked away somewhere in my home. i don't have a garage, but only a 4th bedroom that my husband uses for his computer—and our foosball table recently purchased at our local eco thrift. so for now, they're tucked underneath the unplayed foosball table in dusty old milk crates.

i have personally displayed a lot of these objects throughout my home, but have decided to sell most of them (to not junk it all up), but now i have a new hobby to collect and spray paint which keeps me busy (and keeps me away from my addiction of my favorite video game). my favorite? i love old bust statues. i take an old traditional bust statue (such as mozart, beethoven, et al) and paint them bright lime green, red, yellow or any color that suits me at that moment, and display them proudly. it really does create such an eclectic display comingled with any sort of decor. additionally, you're able to feel like you've become a part of the recycling/upcycling movement. 

so why not? you should try it. go out and scour the thrift shops and see what you can find and spray paint yourself. almost anything can work if you put your imagination to use. maybe try to sell it. either way, it's kind of fun. 

for me, the hard part is deciding what color to use.

purple and black swimming and bowling trophies

pink and blue softball and swimming trophies

black, silver, pink, green sports trophies

teal, yellow and brown sports trophies

chartreuse candlestick

red, blue, teal and silver candlesticks

orange fruit bowl

orange and chartreuse candlesticks

pink candlestick

purple bowl

green bust with red lips

red bust

Check Out My Etsy Shop

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the big city

even though i haven't had the luxury of traveling the world, creating these pop art cityskapes definitely gives me that opportunity to "think" i am. i realize it's not the real thing, but it pleases me to give a visual account of what i'd like to see with each city that i desire to visit. although london and new york city are the only cities i've been lucky enough to see, i still include them since they're a few of my favorite regardless.

creating pop art has been a personal past time of mine for a few years now. i've even been lucky enough to sell them online, as well as create personal custom pop art designs for prospective clients. with the cityskapes that i have recently created, i only hope it will add a new dimension with a unique perspective to my work and my designs.

i'm very pleased with the final outcome of these designs and hope that i'll be able to sell them in hopes of producing more. different cities throughout the world that have become well known for their culture, size and of course, large population.

by incorporating a variation of color combintations, it gives me an aesthetic view of what i would interpret of these cities—the vibrance and culture that permeates throughout their alive energy. historical accounts of what transpired centuries prior. an architectural account of impressive magnitude.

enjoy!

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i did it

i finally did it. i submitted my project to the denver art museum's upcoming exhibit, open for design. i'm excited and i'm eager to see my idea as an exhibit at this prestigious showing for the public to see. 


this is new to me, and apart of me is nervous, but i know that it will not only enhance my portfolio and resumé, but my psyche as well. it's what i will need to move my work and my fine art skills forward in life and push me to create more, instead of the frustration and disappointment that normally surrounds me as an artist. the frustration that i typically feel on a daily basis.


I submitted my idea & sketch about how I would love to turn an old vacant dilapidated building or wall into a childrens mural of art! with donations from local art stores, craft stores or hardware stores for any kind of paint—from spray paint to tempera paint—children can paint whatever they want. even graffiti will be accepted & welcomed.

this mural will be one-of-a-kind and it'll brighten up any inner-city neighborhood, especially for children whose art classes or programs have been cut by the school district due to funding, this will give them the creative outlet they have been wanting for so long.

there's something so raw about freehand & graffiti art that I have always loved and admired, so including an art display of this magnitude, will increase their confidence and for that one moment in time, this glorious memory that will stay with them for the rest of their lives with give them pleasure.

illustration of an example of my submission

the idea of seeing inner-city children—or any child for that matter—painting abstract works of art, or even as a realistic point-of-view, would be a more pleasing visual than a blank canvas on a wall or building instead. it would bring color to the neighborhood and a little bit of pride for these children as they gaze upon their work for weeks, or months, to come.

as long as the wall or building remain vacant, they can start over with a simple white painted wall over the mural, maybe to include a whole new group of children to showcase their talents as well. another outlet where they can express their thoughts and inner-feelings within this neighborhood project.

as i enjoy this self-acclaimed greatness, i know my confidence will increase exponentially.

as this coming week approaches, i will be exhibiting my paintings at a restaurant for local artists to showcase their work, and although this is a simple display, it's meaningful to me regardless.

i will persevere through my insecurity and add another notch to my portfolio and my resumé to ensure my confidence will increase in time.

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