Exciting New Addition to My Family

Well, sort of, a new "addition". While doing some after-Christmas shopping, I bought a mannequin! I am very excited about the possibilities and uses of her (sewing helper, photo shoot model, dog sitter, and HOV lane passenger, etc.) But now I think she needs a name and I'd like your help....Please see my poll and vote on your favorite (or if you have a better suggestion, just add a comment and I'll consider adding it to the list).

Another Snow Day Project

BEFORE

A plain, boring dresser.

AFTER

Sleek and pretty.

Contact paper and decals can do wonders!

Looks like it took all day, but I finished it in under three hours.

Snow Day Project

I am "snowed" in today and so I made this stocking for a friend in about three hours today.

Go Beavers!!

New Projects

The First of More to Come....

A pretty pink apron lets you feel and look fabulous while doing chores or entertaining.

Brand New Ribbon Belt Designs

Warm brown background compliments gold and white mosaic wave pattern.

Fabulous double-sided ribbon with dark brown and white ginkgo leaf designs.

Concentric circles of pink, orange, and brown on an olive green background, backed with a coordinating burgundy ribbon.

Pretty pink paisly designs dress up a dark brown ribbon.

Bright and mod, this olive green belt with cirlces of dots makes a statement.

A Sampling of New Clutch Bag Designs:

Black and white toile designs give a classic yet country feel to this clutch style bag. Large and small sizes give you options (a medium size is in the works).

Backside has a strap the doubles as a handle (large size shown).

Look for these items and more to soon be for sale in my Etsy shop.

Coming Soon to My Etsy Shop!

As I mentioned before, I like to jump from project to project. These are a few items I've made that you can look foward to seeing in my Etsy shop. They are one of a kind handbags and ribbon belts. Very cute, don't you think? Stay tuned for more info and new projects. I'll be posting some of my sisters fabulous graphic design work soon too! (it's amazing!) And as always, let me know what you think.....

They're On Display!

Yes, it's true. Some of my paintings are now on display at a local Starbucks.....I can't believe it!

Since putting them up in the last week of April, I have not painted all that much to be honest. I am still waiting for one of them to dry (might be waiting a long time actually), and then I can display that one as well (see work in progress post).

I have received many positive comments from the team who work there, and another great comment from a local artist/customer who had her art up before mine. It amazes me to hear what people have to say. I certainly am a tough critic on my own work to be sure, I just want it to be the best it can be. And I am sure like many of you artists out there, it can be very difficult to take the images you have in your mind and recreate it on canvas, paper, etc. It never seems to be quite right, but that's part of what keeps the process going, that constant striving for something with just a little more "wow".

A Work In Progress

Untitled
By C. Miner

This painting is one I am currently working on. I used oil paints on canvas board. I had started this painting a long time ago.....probably like 2002 or '03. I don't have a picture of what it looked like before this post here, but trust me it was much more harsh, more dark, more rough and a little angry. I guess I was in a darker place in my life then......so it didn't seem fitting to leave it like that (besides, I always intended to rework it into something better). And now is the time for that.

For me, painting can be a kind of "therapy", or a release. Something that can get me out of my head. Something that I can do to escape the busy-ness of this crazy world. Something that is just fun.

I think this painting has taken on a new feeling now that I've re-worked it. Still working on it so we'll see where it ends up soon I hope.

Viburnum

Viburnum

By C. Miner, 2008

Viburnum is a type of flowering shrub. I had one at my first home, and took some pictures of the blooms. They are such a pretty flower, very delicate and soft. This painting was inspired by those photos.

I decided I liked the contrast with black and white, and again trying out that "paint-by-number" style. Maybe later I'll try variations on this same photo.

Autumn Sky

Autumn Sky
By C. Miner, 2008


This is another painting that was inspired by my visit to the Japanese Gardens last Fall. It is done in acrylics on canvas board. Here's the original photo I took while there (and thanks Lura for tagging me along with you).



As a child I always loved paint-by-number sets (and still do). But as I got older, these same kits that I would see in craft stores or wherever, seemed more and more "cheesy" to me. Not that that is bad, but I longed for something other than kittens with balls of yarn, still lifes with fruit, or cheap copies of Van Gogh, Monet, and other Masters.

So, I guess this painting, in a way, is my take on that "paint-by-number" feel. I like the way that each color in this is indiviual, but together, they make something more than they could by themselves.

October Haze

October Haze

By C. Miner, 2008

This is an original painting done in acrylics on stretched canvas. I had visited the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon back on Halloween in 2007. I took many photos and this one stood out to me.

After some cropping and playing with it it in Photoshop, I decided I needed to paint it. So I did.

The First Painting

Hibiscus



C.Miner, 2008

This is the first painting I have completed in a very long time. The one that got me back into it after a very LONG pause. (Thank You Shellia!) It is an oil painting on stretched canvas. I love oils. The way the paint flows and blends is incredible. It always seems that when I work with them, the painting has this light or glow or something that I have yet to acheive when I use acrylics. I just get too impatient with the LONG drying time.

I painted this from a reference photo I had saved from like 10 years ago! I guess I knew it would be a good subject, but never got my head wrapped around it until recently. It took just a little urging from a dear friend to get started again. So Shellia, this painting is for YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

What is Delightful Fig?

Delightful Fig is many things. It is meant to encompass a variety of creative arts. I think I must be a little bit ADD, because I can never seem to stick to just one project. I need to bounce back and forth between different mediums and such. Sometimes I'm in the mood to paint, which is my current mood. Other times, I am in the mood to sew, and still other times I might work with clay or paper, or whatever strikes me or inspires me in that moment!


I created this blog as a means to showcase some of my projects and artwork. I hope it will show the process as much as the final product, and that perhaps I can gain inspiration from your comments and critiques, and maybe inspire another artist along the way too.


Currently, I am working on several paintings. This coming May I get the opportunity to display some of them at a local Starbucks. I am excited and a little nervous too. This will be my very first public display. Whoo Hoo!