Illustration Friday – Soaked

This piece is called Spring Rain...seemed to go along with the theme and our rainy spring here in the midwest. We've been soaked many times in the last two months!

Illustration Friday – Safari

I've been on an animal kick lately, so I'm thrilled with this theme! Just finished this piece, Return of the Queen, recently. Can't wait to see what everybody posts.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73119823/return-of-the-queen-print

Demo & Trunk Show This Thursday!

This Thursday, May 12 I will be at Occasions in Naperville (3027 English Rows, 630.355.5045) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. doing a demo and trunk show! Stop by and see what I'm working on and see a variety of new items. Hope you can stop by and say hello!

This new little piece is called Pure Sunshine.

Beautiful Soul

The day before my daughter's 16th birthday, as I was writing my blog post, the idea for this piece of art came to me. I knew immediately I had to make it for her as a special gift for her big day. I just finished it last night and will be framing the original today to go in her room. I hope she likes it! I'd also like to give a special thank you to all the wonderful moms out there with beautiful souls who have served as inspiration and comfort in our lives.

Prints of Beautiful Soul are available at my Etsy shop:

Sweet 16 – Beautiful Soul

My beautiful daughter Hannah turns 16 today! Still trying to wrap my head around where those 16 years went so quickly. What I can say for sure is that I am so incredibly proud of the beautiful person, inside and out, that she is and has always been. Have a great 16th! Your very blessed mom loves you so much.

My "Aha" Moment & Giveaway

I'm always interested to hear others "aha" moments - those moments of pure light and inspiration when everything comes together! For me, this happened about 8 or 9 years ago, when I was just beginning to dabble in creating artwork. My professional degrees are in music, and for many years I enjoyed a successful career as a professional accompanist in Chicago. I truly love the time I spent playing, but there was always a pull toward the art field and creating something other than music with my hands. I was taking a pastel class through the local art league, and I created this huge lotus in class...and I realized it was really good! I was walking back to the car and my moment of divine inspiration happened in the parking lot. I knew instantly this was my passion, and I literally started crying because it was such a powerful feeling.

Share your "aha" moment with me and you'll be entered to win a Morning Glories print and note card set. Can't wait to hear from you! I'll pick a winner on Wednesday, May 11!

The Whimsical Kingdom

Self doubt - that awful demon! My solo exhibit is coming up soon and doubt is kicking in...Will the exhibit be successful? Will people enjoy the new work? Will I get everything done before the deadline? Of course, when I started working on all these new pieces back in January, I thought I had all the time in the world. Now it's come and gone, and I'm down to the last week or so before I hang the show.

I think I feel a need to step back, be kind to myself and stop worrying. Breathe, relax, live in the moment...it will all be fine. More exhibit info coming soon!

http://www.valerielorimer.com
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