One Thing Leads To The Other... Hastypearl

One Thing Leads To The Other...

Hastypearl

As you well know by now, 

half of my heart resides in the Hill Country, in Texas, 

and the other half belongs to the Rocky Mountains, in Colorado.

Right away, you can see that I have Great Taste, right? :)

A while back, one of my favorite Art and Business Mentors, 

(I have quite a few), 

told me to start submitting my art, 

and One Thing Would Lead To The Other.

 I took her advice.

After all, What Would I Have to Lose? 

While I always know that Providence is in control 

of everything 

that happens in my life, 

including the good AND the bad, 

I still love watching it play out.

For instance...

A Colorado Home Owners Association reply letter from me 

and sent to a neighbor Betty Bradley,

with my Hastypearl Etsy and Blog addresses in the signature, 

led her to explore my Etsy shop.

After that, 

she asked if I would submit a piece of my Mixed Media Art 

to a fund raiser for a ministry, that we have known about for years.

Of course I said, Yes!

I didn't know that she was the President of the Redstone Art Foundation, 

that holds an annual Art Show, to raise money for 

Art Scholarships for High School students 

headed to Art Schools.

She asked me to participate in that Art Show

....my very first Show Ever!

Again, I said, YES! 

See?

One Thing Leads To The Other...  

I'm sure that you have had similar things happen to you, both large and small.

This past 2015 Labor Day weekend, was when the Redstone Art Show took place.

It wasn't easy long distance preparing, shipping and setting up

...but I am So Glad that I did it.

It has given me a total new respect, 

for those of you who do this on a regular basis.

Now I can see what you guys go through :)

It was a wonderful learning curve and I feel so much better for it.

I am thrilled that I have been invited back,

 and even asked to make the name tags!

So, while I worked Many hours daily at the Art Show, 

I also found time,

 to practice shooting in Manual mode with my camera

...another wonderfully steep learning curve!

Lets face it, every where in America is beautiful, 

so all you have to do is look around, and snap!

Below, are various photos that my husband took of my space.

The weather was all over the charts, 

but the fantastic enclosure that it was held in, was not only charming, 

but also very safe for the Art.

At closing time, we enjoyed the great restaurants in the Redstone area, 

and as Always, found a few necessary minutes out in nature.

One day at the Art Show, was funny hat day.

I had a hat, but didn't have the Funny!

Larry suggested that I find and attach something that I had made, 

so I used my handmade leathery envelopes and lavender filled pouches.

The side benefit was that it smelled great :)

I'm not sure how people Actually took me serious, but I had to get in the game!

Larry took the following pictures of me with my customers.

I was actually Emotional when I downloaded them and saw them for the first time.

Whether they were buyers or not, it gave me such joy, 

to expose people, and some for the first time, 

to my idea of story telling with Vintage Items.

It was a brand new concept for many.

I told them, that I have a philosophy, that Art doesn't have to be Flat!

And, that there are more kinds of art than Oils and Watercolors

...both of which I love.

I want my Art to reach OUT AT you and beg you to touch it.

I want it to Move.

I want it to flutter in a breeze.

And most of all, I want it to do that Over and Over again.

I have had patrons tell me that they can see something new 

in my pieces, every time that they look at it.

High Compliments...the Best !

So, Look at their body language as I help them find their own stories.

If that is all that I came away with, it would have Been Enough.

Makes me soooooo happy!

These Mixed Media Angels, are a few of the pieces that found new homes.

I was Thrilled to learn that the angel above, named Beauty, was featured in 

Both the Aspen and Glenwood Springs newspapers.

With so much great art to choose from, 

I was Really Honored.

I was surprised when my friend Janette, still wearing her pajamas,

 appeared at my door with one of the newspapers one morning !

Beauty, was sold to a customer, that didn't know about the features!

I have another theory that can be Patience Testing.

Maybe you already know about it.

The piece above, was called, Thimble Heart and 

was far and away, my most "Favorited" Art item on Hastypearl Etsy.

Way over 1000 people gave me the thumbs up on this piece.

The cost was unbelievably Affordable.

(I have a friend on Etsy that tells me that I should raise my prices:)

So, why hadn't it sold?

Poor SEO? Too much Art on Etsy to choose from? Some other reason?

No.

Here's my theory... 

I think its because it was WAITING for its owner.

I've finally learned that Everything that I sell, 

has a special owner just waiting to find it 

and it makes me Crazy Happy 

when I can introduce them !

I had a wonderful time visiting with literally hundreds of people 

from the Aspen area and Much farther afield.

I made New friends, which was High on my trips Goals list, 

and I visited with others that I had already given my heart to.

Wonderful things happen to ALL of us.

Sometimes, we can believe the lie, that things like "That" just don't happen to me, 

but if we live long enough, Things like "That" happen to ALL of us.

For me, this past weekend will be one that I wont Ever Forget.

My Biggest THANKS to All of You that 

contributed to my Very Happy Weekend! xo 

Thanks as always for stopping by my blog...

I'm so glad that you did !

 Laura aka Hastypearl

...please check my shop as I will be listing many new pieces of Art and Vintage Parts.

It may seem early, but many pieces that I sold this weekend, 

will be gifts for the upcoming seasons!

It gave me great Joy, to hear my buyers say that they couldn't 

wait for their loved ones to see their one of a kind, finds!

Colorado Creatures Watercolor Collage Hastypearl

Colorado Creatures Watercolor Collage

Hastypearl

As you know, I enjoy traveling to the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

It is a Happy and Reoccurring theme, in my life.

While in Colorado one trip, I decided to focus on and to draw and paint, some of the local animals.

I will usually head outside, under giant and ancient evergreens, and listen to the birds, hummers, squirrels and the nearby Crystal River, for inspiration.

I ended up Drawing and Watercoloring a number of animals, two of which are featured in this posting.

I know that I just posted about these, in the previous blog posting, but I thought that I would revisit them, with a few more images and explanation.

Today, you will see, The Barn Owl and the Red Fox.

My Best Animal Treat on that trip, was actually seeing a Red Fox, literally sit down yards from me, while I photographed with curiosity, as to why he seemed so docile. 

I questioned a local about it and he said that unfortunately, people had probably been feeding it, in their backyards.

Irregardless, I had thought so much about the Red Fox, that I was so glad to be able to see him.

All of the Foxes in my Texas neighborhood do what nature intends them to do, which is to Disappear! 

I didn't collage the pieces, until after the trip, and back here in my Texas studio.

Its hard to travel with the perfect papers for projects.

It was fun to continue the process After I got home, anyway.

It was a way for me to remember my trip and enjoy thinking about those special hours, creating.

As I look back over this collection, I see that I had a bit of a black and white theme going.

That combination is dramatic and always one of my favorites.

Please Enjoy!

I love his serious and business like eyes.

It feels like he is locked on to his dinner! Yikes!

He is a set of blank cards. 

I often write in my Etsy, Hastypearl card set listings, that after the recipient enjoys the card, 

its easy to slip it into a ready cut mat, for framing.

The card below, is a black and white version of the Watercolored one, above.

*

The three Red Fox pieces below would look great framed as a set, but can also stand, alone.

The first piece and Fox, is definitely the confident Alpha Fox, and Leader of the Pack. 

Sometimes, we all enjoy kicking back, and letting someone else more qualified, do the leading.

I used Vintage Ephemera from my collection. 

Below, is the full shot of the piece.

This second piece, is a pair... maybe they are siblings?

They have stopped, to look off into the distance at something that has caught their eye. 

I wonder what it was?

More Layers of Vintage Papers.

Here they are again, framed in a ready cut mat just to show you just how easy it can be.

Finally, the last piece, is the Fox at the back of the pack.

You've heard the phrase..."I've got your back".

Its good to know that there is always Someone...that has our backs for us, right?

Also on this piece, is a page from a dictionary from the 1800's, 

a small bit of Colorado map, actually near where we stay, 

and some pages from a Vintage Typing School Book.

Below, is a shot of the last piece...again framed.

*

It was a Wonderful time of focus on animals of the region that I love.

Both animals are Illusive.

Not naturally interested in posing for photographs.

Meant to be left alone in nature.

 *

I hope that you enjoyed seeing a few of my Watercolor Collage Pieces.

They are all available at Hastypearl, my Etsy shop.

I would love for you to take a look at them and the other listings that I have!

Thanks for stopping by...for a little time together.

I hope that you are enjoying these Wonderful Days...Whether Winter or Summer...Wherever You Are :)

It makes me so fascinated, to see on the feedjit chart on the right of the page, where you all live!

Its really such a small world, right?

I hope that you will check back in...Often!

:) Laura aka Hastypearl