Children's portraits

I have been working on toddler and baby dolls the last few days and I'm feeling very inspired to do portraits of my own children. I did many portraits before I had children of my own. I think it is time to create some portraits of my children while they are so young, so I can cherish their beautiful, innocent faces and pass them down to them when they are grown.

I'm imagining elegant pastel portraits on warm toned paper, half complete, with very lifelike face and loose sketches of clothing and no background. I want them large, almost life size, and framed huge, with wide white matts and chunky silver frames to hang in my bedroom. Another creative project to add to my list!

Student Art Fair

Today I went out with the family for dinner and to a student art fair at the local high school. It was quite nice, and very large, with art from students 6th grade through high school. It reminded me of the many art fairs I had been in at that age. I browsed around working my way towards the two pieces of my 12 year daughter's. As we neared the table to where her piece was displayed we were elated when we saw that she had won 1st place!! My daughter, my little girl, growing up, and now she won one of only a few first place ribbons! Her piece was the only paper mache chosen from her 7th grade class to represent the project. It was a Fanta pop can and it looked amazing! Her other painting was a monochromatic painting of a fox, also executed very well. There were many budding artists there at the show, and I hope that they continue to follow their passion and develop as artists. Whether they choose art as a career or not, I hope that they continue to appreciate the process of creating.

The world needs more beautiful art!

Sometimes we find inspiration in things, and sometimes we find inspiration in people. Today I am inspired by several people in my life. They don't know how inspiring they are, but I hope they know that my actions and motivations today are because of them. I want to thank everyone who believes in me. You keep me going!

Let me introduce myself. I am a mother, an artist, illustrator, and product designer. I enjoy creating, which explains my chosen career path, but in addition to artwork, I love creating in life. What I mean by that is I look at my whole life as my canvas. I create through many mediums, and my mediums are not limited to items in an art supply or craft store. I believe that we all create our lives in different ways: through the choices we make, the items that surround us, and the people that we include in our lives. Being an artist is also about seeing. How we see ourselves and the world around us is different for everybody, therefore how we express ourselves is equally unique. Being an artist, I see my world in my own unique way, and I just happen to use paint as a way to create more than the average person. But make no mistake about it, painting does not make me an artist, creating and seeing does. So no matter what your method of creating, come with me and celebrate the artist in yourself. See yourself in a new way every day and you will change your life, see the world in a new way and change the world!

My website:

mvanpatten.com

Welcome to my blog! I am so excited to be sharing my life, my experiences, my inspirations, and my art with you. I am an artist and a mother of four. I have a crazy, busy life, but I love it! I find inspiration in everything around me, and I love to create. I paint, photograph, scrapbook and write in an effort to capture the people that I love, objects that inspires me, or experiences that I want to cherish forever. I want this blog to be a little window into my creative life. But most of all I want to connect with others who share my passions, to inspire, and to be inspired.