Show myself the love: Curls

I've decided to start a new series of blogs which are titled, "Show myself the love".  So many of us put in so much energy caring for others, weather it be at work, or people closer to us such as family or friends.  We strive to reach higher, hoping to be accepted and judging ourselves, usually harshly, along the way.  "I should have done this differently", "I wish I had a flat stomach like hers", "why didn't he notice my new dress?" "I did that speech horribly" and the list goes on.

We're our worst enemy and most of us don't realize how much we can really bring ourselves down.  I say enough!  These blogs will be dedicated to bring ourselves up!  Don't look to the outside world to boost you up, look inside yourself and remind yourself how amazing you truly are.  Though don't get me wrong, revel in those random compliments others give you, try to see what they see and know that it's true.

In this series I will post a picture of something I love about myself and I encourage you to think of something you love about yourself as well even if it's the same thing and please, leave it as a comment.

I love my curls, I take a shower, put a bit of gel on my hair and BAM! I've got body, I've got bounce!  I don't have to spend hours with a curling iron or damage my hair with perming chemicals.  I can leave it down or throw it up with a few delicate curls left around my face.  And if I happen to want to use a curling iron to get more styled curls I don't have to worry about them falling out by the end of the day.  Yes, I love my curly hair!  What do you love about yourself?

Just for a little extra fun, and because I love random fact, here's some info on hair:
1. Facial hair grows faster than any other hair on the body.  In fact, if the average man never shaved his beard it would grow to over 30 feet during his lifetime, longer than a killer whale.

2. Every day the average person loses 50-100 strands of hair. Unless you’re already bald, chances are good that you’re shedding pretty heavily on a daily basis. Your hair loss will vary in accordance with the season (growing faster in summer than in winter and fast by day than night), pregnancy, illness, diet and age.

3. Women’s hair is about half the diameter of men’s hair. While it might sound strange, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that men’s hair should be coarser than that of women. Hair diameter also varies on average between races, making hair plugs on some men look especially obvious.

4. One human hair can support 3.5 ounces. That’s about the weight of two full size candy bars, and with hundreds of thousands of hairs on the human head, makes the tale of Rapunzel much more plausible.

5. There are as many hairs per square inch on your body as a chimpanzee. Humans are not quite the naked apes that we’re made out to be. We have lots of hair, but on most of us it’s not obvious as a majority of the hairs are too fine or light to be seen.

6. The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average. While you lose a few hairs each day, your hairs actually have a pretty long life providing they aren’t subject to any trauma. Your hairs will likely get to see several different haircuts, styles, and even possibly decades before they fall out on their own.

7. You must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone. You lose hundreds of hairs a day but you’ll have to lose a lot more before you or anyone else will notice. Half of the hairs on your pretty little head will have to disappear before your impending baldness will become obvious to all those around you.

8. Pulling out 1 grey hair does NOT cause 7 to grow back. What it will do however is cause damage to the root preventing any other hairs to grow back.

Now it's your turn, tell me what you love about yourself. :)


Most info gotten from 10 Cool facts to know about Hair/Nails

Deb Original Gouache Painting

First off, my apologies for not posting in far too long!  Life has been a bit insane and still not quite back to normal.  My roommate is moving out so I've been searching, searching and searching some more for a new one.  Which surprisingly has inspired me to a new type of blog post and way of expressing my art... But that is a future post hopefully soon to come!  Until then here is my newest gouache painting from my Dancer Series!

This image was a lot of fun to do, I enjoyed the simplicity of it but also that it has those little details that keep it from seeming to plain.  Purple is also one of my favorite color.  This is one of my favorite women, she inspires me in so many ways.  She is a dancer as well as an artist, so got just a few things in common.  She has reached her goals and then some, she is an amazing dancer and instructor as well as a talented artist.  I only hope to do as well as she is some day.

This is the original lovely Deb!  Deb being the amazing woman that she is was chosen to be a Lululemon ambassador.  Every Lululemon ambassador has a special photo shoot coordinated by the company so their image can be displayed at the Lulu store and online, this is one of those photos.  Deb was selected for her wonderful talent for dance, instructing as well as her outgoing, positive and welcomingly sweet personality.  Deb is the kind of person you can't help but smile around.

Check out Deb at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76782055/deb-original-dance-gouache-painting
Want to know more about Deb?  Check out her fan page here:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Deb-Heyrana-Lets-Dance/117554931614810?ref=ts

Heather Original Gouache Painting

I'm so excited!  Why?  Because I've finally started my new series that has been bouncing around in my brain for who knows how long now.  It's kind of a spin off from my belly dance series in that I'm using a similar style and gouache paint.  What's different is I'm branching out to different styles of dance and making the images either much more simple or much more complicated.  First up is Heather!

Inspiration comes in many different forms, mine is in those I know personally and find strength, beauty and good energy.  In the image above is just one of those special ladies, Heather.  I met Heather through the dance studio I work at, she is one amazing dancer and instructor.  Heather often wears flowers in her hair which I feel fits her personality perfectly.  Outside of class she is a calm and serene presence, like a flower bud, it's closed but still just as lovely in it's simplicity.  In class Heather explodes with energy, she looks like she's having the time of her life you can't help but smile and laugh with her, in this moment she is in bloom showing off all her color and vibrancy.  This is why I chose such a bright color, dancing she pops like the red of a rose.

Above is the image I used to create my gouache painting.  I love how graceful, energetic and powerful this image is.  Heather is one strong mamacita!  If you'd like to know more about Heather check out her website here: http://createyourownbeautiful.com/

Heather Original Gouache Painting at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76254521/heather-orignial-dance-gouache-painting

Water Goddess Watercolor Print

My brain is tired and thinking... is... difficult.  Yet I decide to write a blog now, how odd I am.  Oh well, when the mood comes to write it cannot be stopped even if the brain doesn't want to cooperate.  Next up in the batters box:

Like my previous post I created this image from a photo of one of my best friends.  I love this image because I put love into it when I made it, which was a Christmas gift to the lovely woman portrayed in this image.  She completes the trilogy of my tattoo sisters and her name is Amanda.  I decided to make her a water Goddess because Amanda adores water, it is her element and the flowers surrounding her are her favorites.  Check out Water Goddess in Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/74726389/water-goddess-watercolor-print

This is the image I used to create Water Goddess, isn't she lovely?  I have known Amanda for a very long time, I'm not even sure exactly how long at this point but we began as school yard friends and our friendship soon grew to a life long one.  Though she lives so far from me now that I need a plane to see her, partly because I don't have a car, we still keep our friendship strong.  Amanda is one of the most caring and giving people I know and loves immensely.  She's also intelligently hilarious in a goofy sort of way which is why I love her so.  At the moment she is going to school to become a teacher which is perfect for her, with Amanda's giving and caring personality kids can't help but adore her.

In my previous post I mentioned some new ideas which are now becoming more solid in my, at the moment, mushy brain.  I'm getting excited to start some new projects and to share them on here...  But I'm getting ahead of myself, obviously I'm having difficultly focusing on one thing, this post took way to long to write but I got the writing bug out and I am happy.

Goddess Watercolor Print

I got through all of my Belly Dance paintings, what?!  This means I'll need to get working and create some more, though at the moment I have some other ideas growing in my mind... So many ideas so little time!  So now for a change of pass, some watercolor prints.

Above is an image that means quite a bit to me.  I created this image from of photo, which you can see below, of one of my long time friends and tattoo sister Briana.  I created this watercolor for her as a Christmas present, the wording below is in Gaelic and translates to "Froever Friends".  I chose Gaelic because we, including our third tattoo sister (in a future post to come), all have a bit-o-Irish running through our veins and share a love for everything Irish.  I always enjoy creating paintings of those that I care about, makes the process meaningful and fun and always hoping they'll enjoy it as much as I do.  Goddess Watercolor Print at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65259871/goddess-watercolor-print

Above is the image I used as reference of my lovely friend Briana.  I have known Briana for, goodness, I want to say 15 years now... Could be a little more a little less.  No matter where we are in our lives I will always love her and call her friend.  Briana is also a very talented artist, I have seen her photography talents grow over time and she only keeps improving.  She's talented, driven and one awesome person, recipe for success!  If you'd like to check out some of Briana's photography take a look at her etsy shop The Dizzy Pixie: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheDizzyPixie

A favorite etsy shop: Imagine Studio

Imagine Studio's creates art though photomontage, photo fusion and painted photographs.  I love this shop, the colors are vibrant and each piece brings out a different emotion.  The creator of this shop definitely doesn't hold back on letting the creativity flow.

The image above is titled "Fall's Awakening".  The reds, oranges and yellows not only remind me of the vibrant colors of the leaves in fall but also of the passions of romance.  At least that's where my imagination goes with this piece.  I wonder who she is looking at, perhaps she is on stage and her eyes fall on a tall man towards the back that she feels she knows from a distant past.

The image above titled "Metomorphous" gives a completely different emotion.  In this image I see escape, freedom.  It is a dark image so I get the feeling that she is in the moment of transition.  She was in a dark place, someplace she felt trapped but now she is moving on.  Escaping from this dark place to something better.  She explodes into flight to a place of light.  As you can see my imagination goes wild with the images of this shop.


If you'd like to see more from Imagine Studio's check it out here: www.imaginestudio.etsy.com

Britt

Lately I've been thinking I'd like to do bigger paintings like I used to do in school.  Perhaps they would be belly dance art, perhaps not.  The main problem with this idea is, room.  The bigger the art the more space it takes up and folks, I sadly do not have that much space.  It's so nice to have the smaller paintings tucked away in my portfolio, waiting to be bought so I can ship it off nicely wrapped in a bow... *sigh* dreamings.  Perhaps I can cover my walls with my large art or put them in a bag and hang them out my window.  Any ideas?

Okay, enough of my tangent thoughts, on to more belly dance art!  My newest piece "Britt" is as always, of a belly dancer I personally know and have taken inspiration from.  I love that I have such lovely muses that fill my life.

I chose yellow and red specifically to portray Britt's firery attitude on stage.  She has the ability to keep an audience completely captive and entertained simply by thrusting her hip to the audience while pointing them down as she holds an expression that says "yes, I'm pointing at you and you like it."  And it's true!  Britt has an amazingly witty and outgoing personality it's not surprising that she brings that wittiness to her belly dance performances which are wonderfully entertaining to see.

Above you'll see the lovely image of Britt I used as inspiration for my gouache painting.  Just look at that expression!  Pure confidence.

Check out "Britt" at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/72436209/britt-original-painting

Lydia

Next up in my Belly Dance series is "Lydia".  Lydia is actually the second original gouache painting I've done in this series, the first being "Veronica" which I gave as a birthday gift to the actual Veronica.  I liked it so much though I may paint another to put up in my shop.

Lydia is a dancer I've known for about 2 years now.   I met Lydia through Hipline starting out as fellow students.  Watching her in class it was obvious she had an amazing talent for dance.  She soon grew in the studio developing her arabic style of belly dance and began performing solo's at recitals, teaching workshops and eventually teaching classes.  Having a background in ballet, Lydia brings amazing grace and elegance to her belly dance performances as well as some kick ass back bends!

 Above is the actual image of Lydia I used for the painting above.  Check out "Lydia" in Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/66514427/lydia

A favorite etsy shop: Elfin Dreams

This is a shop, at the moment, that exclusively sells fantasy original painting by Toni Cogdell.  The art in Elfin Dreams is mainly fairies or other nymph like creatures of nature.  Which, of course, is a big reason why this shop is one of my favorites.  Toni's work is very emotional, spiritual and whimsical.

Above is one of my favorite original watercolor and acrylical painting in Elfin Dreams.  This piece is titled Lady of Hawthorn.  As far back as I can remember my family has taken camping trips every summer.  With so many fond memories with my family out in the woods I have grown with a great appreciate for nature and a love of trees.  In this piece, an elven like creature seems to be a part of this tree, perhaps a tree spirit taking on a humanoid form.  I've hugged trees, but to be a part of the tree would be a completely different experience.  What's your interpretation of this lovely art piece?

If you'd like to see more from Elfin Dreams follow this link: www.elfindreams.etsy.com

Belly Dance with Ziva

Next in my Belly Dance series of original paintings I'm going to feature is "Ziva".  Ziva is an instructor at Hipline who is a phenomenally entertaining dancer!  Ziva's style is Middle Eastern as well as Egyptian and when she takes the stage she has a smile that lights up the room, you can't help but smile back.  She entertains with dramatic movement and subtle lifts of her eyebrow...  Well I can go on and on, Ziva is definitely a dancer I admire.

In this original gouache painting I tried to capture Ziva's life and smile that she amazingly expresses on stage.  In this moment Ziva is expressing her love, for the dance and also the music (arabic music is all about love, drama and passion).  She exstends her hand out to the audience, welcoming them in to her performance and her heart.

Here is the actual photo of Ziva taken by Christopher Husary that I used as reference for the painting above.  Ziva exudes a complete joy for her dance that come across not only in person but in photos and art as well.  Here is the link to "Ziva" at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/71543514/ziva-original-painting

If you'd like to know more about Ziva the dancer, check out her website: www.zivadancer.com

A favorite etsy shop: Mizzdraconia

As part of this blog I will feature some of favorite shops along the way.  The first will be Mizzdraconia, a shop that specializes in beautiful fantasy art work in the style of digital paintings and photo manipulations.  If you know my etsy shop, Elven Grove, it's pretty obvious why Mizzdraconia is one of my favorites, sharing a love for fantasy, nature and myth.

This piece is called "Daily Report" and is described as "a daily report being delivered to one of the dryads of the forest".  I love the the woods and all the mythical creatures that are described to live there, including dryads.  I enjoy the curiosity the piece brings to my imagination, I wonder what this butterfly is reporting. the dryad seems to have a somewhat of a serious look in her expression, is it bad news?  Is there a stranger wondering in her woods?  Perhaps another mythical creature encroaching on her land? One can only wonder.

I guess you could say I like my reds and my oranges because here is another, with a similar color scheme as above, I very much enjoy from this shop.  This print is called "Poison" and is described as "a deadly concubine plotting to poison her lord".  I feel this image displays the bad intentions of this woman well with the harsh lights and dark's along with the menacing look in her eye that reflects the color of the poisoned grapes.

If you'd like to check out more by Mizzdraconia check out her etsy shop here: www.mizzdraconia.etsy.com

Beginnings

Welcome to my new Elven Grove blog!

For those new to Elven Grove, I have created this blog as an extension of my etsy shop elvengrove.etsy.com.  Here I will post previous and new work to get more in depth as to what my process is, why I created the piece, what inspired me to create it, or what inspires me in general and anything else that might be fun to tell about my work.  I also plan to post some of my favorite etsy stores and products, because spreading the love is never a bad thing.  And I'll toss in a little about me ever now and then... such as, I'm going to the horse races for the first time today!

Okay, on to the good stuff.  I am a belly dancer, which brings me inspiration in many ways so I'm going to start things off with my belly dance paintings.

All of my original belly dance paintings are of belly dancers I personally know or admire.  These ladies bring me joy, inspiration and keep my passion alive for the art of belly dance.  The image above is of the woman who taught me everything I know about belly dance.  Samar is a beautiful dancer who has been performing Arabic style belly dance since she was a young teen.  She brings such a passion, enthusiasm and pure happiness to the stage it's almost physically impossible to take your eyes off her.  She is also part owner of Hipline Belly Dance Fitness for Women, where she teaches the art of belly dance to women of all different ages, shapes and sizes.

Above is the original photo I used as reference for the painting above, Samar dancing lovely in pink.  Check out the painting in my store: http://www.etsy.com/listing/67161687/samar