Upcoming art show!

I'm going to be participating in the Santa Ana Art Walk again soon! Orange County Creatives runs a gallery, and the art walk happens on the first Saturday of each month in the Artists Village in Santa Ana, and their gallery is in this beautiful historic building called the Santora building. It’s a cute little area I never even knew existed. The Santa Ana Art Walk is awesome; it has tons of different types of artists showing in one place, in a lively environment. I participated in September and it was SO fun! I love seeing the work other people do. There are also restaurants and things all around, so you can make a night of it!

Here are the details:

I’ll have a table set up with some of my work displayed and all of my prints available to see/buy in person! (There are two suites for OC Creatives, so just follow the signs- it’s easy to find)

Saturday, November 2, 2013

7 – 10 pm

Santora Building 207 N Broadway, Suite J Santa Ana, CA 92701

Free admission!

$4 parking in the structure across the street (North of the Santora Building) (cross streets are W. 3rd and N. Broadway). The structure fills up/gets crowded fast, so if you come later, you may have to find other parking.

I hope some of you will come if you live nearby! It was such a cool experience last time.

xo, Michelle

a title-less post, I guess.

This is all I have to share today because my brain is full of details for current & upcoming projects. My favorite season is becoming the busiest season! Here's a quote from one of my favorite books (+ a photo of me in the mountains at one of my favorite childhood spots about a week ago). This quote helps me when I try to understand absolutely everything. Now I'm off to sketch & design new pieces!

xo, Michelle

Find me on Facebook & Instagram (@maryandluna) | view my Etsy shop

Someday.

This word is constantly in my head, but more so than ever lately.

Someday I'll figure out what I'm doing when it comes to the business side of this art thing. Someday this learning curve won't be so steep. Someday not every single task will be new. Someday I'll have a good rhythm to balance the creativity with the business side. Someday I'll have a better grip on marketing and finding my audience. Someday I'll be able to create all the pieces I have planned. Someday I'll make more art on a daily basis. Someday I won't feel like I'm stumbling blinding through all of this. Someday I'll look back on now and know that this was crucial learning time for me. Someday I'll decide where I want to live. Someday I'll have a real studio/room to do my work. Someday I'll fall in love with the right person and have a family. Someday all these little babies that I take care of are going to be grown up and I will miss the ages they are now. Someday I'll miss the distractions of working in my house. Someday I'll figure out my sleeping hours. (Or maybe I'll just always be nocturnal). Someday I'll get better at balancing. I hope.

"Someday" is just what I always tell myself as I'm constantly learning and improving and taking all these tasks of life one day at a time. I figure, eventually, if I keep working hard, things will get easier. Of course I'll have new challenges along the way. But there will always be "someday" and the hope of conquering each new task. I'm always dreaming of how it could be better. But it's important to note that I do enjoy the good things in each day as I'm dreaming of someday. I'm very conscious of that trap.

This over-analytical, deep-feeling personality...... it's totally exhausting.

xo, Michelle

PS. Part of my "someday" goals are that I will get better at using social media for my art life (I'm a pro with it for my everyday life. I tend to forget to share when I'm in a creative mode). Here's where else you can find me:

Happy October 1st! + new Autumn-themed piece for sale!

I'm so excited Fall is here! It doesn't quite feel like it here in Southern California, but I'm feeling hints of it here and there- like the much cooler nights and having to wear an actual sweatshirt sometimes. The air just feels different. One of my jobs is picking up a little girl from preschool, so those school days make it feel even more like fall is here. To celebrate all the beauty of this season, I've created a new piece! I wrote about when I fell in love with Portland, Oregon in the fall, and then painted a little girl enjoying the colorful, fallen leaves on top of the writing. It's all about the wonder and idyllic qualities of Autumn, an ode to how beautiful it is. It's perfect for someone who loves fall, childhood, and perhaps the Pacific Northwest.

This print is now available for sale! It's listed at a special price of $18, so don't miss that deal- it won't last long! It's available on either white or brown paper, each giving the painting a different vibe.

You can order it from my Etsy shop. Happy Fall!!!

PS. Here's some of the inspiration for this piece. These photos are from my Portland trip last year:

I feel my best when...

I put together a little list of when I feel my best. Sometimes I feel out of balance, like I'm doing too much of one thing and not enough of the things that center me and make me feel peaceful. I try to build a life of all these things I love, but sometimes I have to step back and re-focus. Here's my list:

Maybe you will make your own?

xo, Michelle