EVEN MOOORE HUMPTY DUMPTY :)

the story goes on.... poor mister dumpty. i feel for the man though! i have a tendency to be the LEAST graceful person alive! i spill things, i drop things, i step on toes, i am a walking tornado to say the least! i trip up the stairs at school on the DAILY! i even had my own "great fall" when i fell down the stairs at prom... can you picture this with me please!? curled locks a mess, a glittery heap of sequins tumbling down the steps, heels flying in EVERY direction.... TOO EMBARRASSING FOR WORDS :) but that's what makes me! i've learned to accept myself for every talent and flaw that i have! i've ALSO learned to roll with the punches and laugh with myself when things don't go exactly according to plans! me and humpty dumpty surprisingly have quite a bit in common! GO FIGURE

humpty dumpty sat on a wall

humpty dumpty had a GREAT fall

bring me home beach

my husband served an LDS mission in Ventura California for two years. he woke up faithfully every morning for two WHOLE years and served with all his heart. it's in my top ten FAVORITE THINGS ON THE PLANET to hear my husband talk about his mission. he LOVED those two years. he met some of the most INCREDIBLE people that took care of him and became his family. he lived for those people and for the gospel of Jesus Christ. my husband is the ULTIMATE man because he learned how to truly love complete strangers and create life-long friendships. 

this last summer we had the WONDERFUL WONDERFUL opportunity to return to this mission. i got to see first hand the places that created the memories and the people that were lucky enough to have dillon in their lives. although he didn't go to a foreign countries, there were parts of his mission that seemed third-world! there were slums and ghettos one day and the next day we were on the coast passing mansions! it was an EPICALLY beautiful experience. i fell in love with the people and the scenery in merely a WEEK :) 

this painting was inspired by beautiful MORRO BAY :) someday i WILL live there. it's your classic beach town right on the coast with the ocean stretching for miles and MILES! this was one of my husband's favorite coastal sites, just this random view around a bend of the road. ABSOLUTELY BREATH TAKING. i loved the memories that we made in california and can not WAIT to get back there asap! my heart just belongs to the coast! and the mountains... i pray that there will someday be a beach in provo canyon! YESSS then life will be complete! until then, morro bay will MORE than suffice :)

my dear humpty dumpty

WELL HELLO WORLD :) it's been a while TO SAY THE LEAST! i've been so saddened by how little time i have to create now that i'm overwhelmed with business and advertising classes! i try to find a few minutes here and there to keep myself SANE through artwork! i've decided that i'm going to start illustrating some of my favorite children's nursery rhyme stories in three images each. 

nursery rhymes hold a forever special spot in my heart... the spot that's really warm and cozy, right in between my love for campfires and my love for rubber duckies :) growing up my mother and father instilled a LOVE for reading and books through nursery rhymes. i can still recall watching a home video of me sitting on the bed next to my dad reciting the story of "hickory dickory dock" and "hey diddle diddle" to him. 

i believe that nursery rhymes don't have any reason or moral or "lesson to be learned", they just inspire imagination! they tell of mice running around clocks and cows jumping over the moon! nursery rhymes teach children to dream big and explore the impossible! 

so here's to you mr. dumpty, you mark the beginning or my NEW nursery rhyme explorations!

seesters keesters :)

i have been blessed with four INCREDIBLE siblings. i'm the oldest of three sisters and one, lone, sole survivor brother! Bonnie is seventeen right now, we're only three years apart and we have been BEST friends since birth... well HER birth anyways... since i lived without her for three years before she was born... HA ANYWAY we have created so many lasting memories and have really become a part of each other. I wouldn't be who I am today without my sister :) she's changed me FOR GOOD! (hope you caught that bon haha) we've seen each other through the ups and downs and have so many dorky inside jokes it's ridiculous. she was my other half and we told each other EVERYTHING. we brought excitement into each other's lives! we had ideal and PERFECT childhoods because we had each other :) bonnie still inspires me today. she is so kind and driven and motivated and hard working. she is a born leader. she is so strong! she stands up for what she believes in and truly cares about others. although bonnie is my LITTLE sister, i find myself looking up to her on the daily. 

i have another ABSOLUTELY AMAZING SISTER named judy! we are six years a part and growing up bonnie and i weren't the greatest sisters in the world to jude! we thought of her as a tag along, that annoying third wheel... :( i wish desperately that i could go back and change how it was. LUCKILY we all came around and judy is now one of my VERY VERY best friends in this world! she is smart and EXTREMELY talented and HYSTERICALLY HILARIOUS and is just a beautiful person to have in my life! judy is another strong woman and an incredible example of endurance to me. that woman has gone through some rough and tough times and she has come out on top. she believes in herself and doesn't judge. i am lucky to know judy stowell and call her sister :)

ever since i moved out for college two years ago, bonnie and judy have become inseparable. at times i find myself jealous that i'm not around more often, that i can't be in on EVERY moment of their lives. but i am SO incredibly happy that they have each other. i moved out and got married and began a new chapter of my life, it's so nice to know that they're alright without me around! they are still the strong and beautiful people without me to watch over them! 

i found this picture of my sisters on facebook and it seriously sums them up... i painted it up and characterized it to embody the unbelievably fantastic stowell sisters :) they are mine and i LOVE them with all my heart :) 

merry christmas darling :)

MERRY HAPPY JOLLY CHRISTMAS WORLD! it's been another magical holiday in the twin cities, full of stories, gifts and of course, food food FOOD (i'm going to have to hit the gym hard core when i get home... yesss!) this year i decided to get creative and surprised my husband with the twelve days of christmas! each day he was greeted with a green and red packaged candy or movie or something of that sort! TODAY is the last day of christmas :( until next year anyways :) 

on the twelfth day of christmas my husband got from ME.... a painting! HA so it's not something that he will get much use of, but it's something that i MADE so it means more! because it's from the heart! right!? that's what they say anyways! 

my husband, dillon mariano winspear, is one of the greatest blessing in my life :) i am a lucky woman to have a man like him to come home to after a long day, to fall asleep with at night, and to wake up to in the morning! 

i met dillon when i was eighteen years old, SO full of dreams and excitement for life! he shared that same excitement and we hit it off INSTANTLY! we were best friends right from the get go and after a month of being "just friends", i won him over and talked him into being my BOYFRIEND! AH! :) what a saint! a couple of months later we were two crazy kids in love and went home to talk to our parents about getting MARRIED! OBVIOUSLY the parentals approved and dillon and i were married in august of 2010! 

this year has been the BEST of my entire life! everyday i learn something new and i grow that much closer to being the woman i pray to be someday! god placed dillon in my life for a reason! we are TRULY whole together! he's my other half in every way! he is my very BEST friend! he's honest and kind and DASHINGLY handsome and thoughtful and in-tune with the spirit and ambitious and determined and UNBELIEVABLY funny and he makes each day i'm with him the best day of my life! 

i love you babe :) MERRY MERRY christmas darling! you're the best gift i could have received! 

:) this is dillon and i living the dream with our homeboy santa HA

those that mean the most

a couple of weeks ago i received news from my father dear that my aunt margie had passed away. i was shocked! i had known that my aunt was a frail and feeble little woman that wasn't healthy in the least bit. everyone knew that her time was running short. but then all of a sudden she was actually gone! it was unreal, like a dream. 

my mother and aunt margie had a different kind of relationship. their friendship was like a roller coaster ride! one day they were best friends and the next they weren't speaking. typical of any sister-relationship i would guess! margie had been through troubled times, she'd endured pains that would have sent me running in the other direction. she was strong and had become somewhat hardened by her experiences. my heart breaks for the story of that woman. 

so, when i heard that she'd passed away, after a moment of mourning i found myself overwhelmingly happy for her! she now has escaped the pains and temptations and sorrows of this world! she can find peace now! she can receive the good word of the gospel and find rest in our Savior, Jesus Christ. she can be reunited with her family and ancestors that have previously passed. my aunt margie finally has the chance to be the incredible woman that she is and to feel JOY. 

especially around this time of year, i find myself feeling so very blessed and grateful for the atonement of our Savior. we celebrate his birth because he makes it possible for us to be with our families for ever. because of Him we can be forgiven and find solace in the growing and learning process. because of the birth and atonement of Jesus i have a constant friend and comforter. i am so happy to be alive and to have a knowledge of the gospel! what a blessing truly! i am grateful for our Savior and for this WONDERFUL christmas season! :) merry, merry, JOYFUL, happy, peaceful, lovely christmas!


this is a piece that i did of my aunt and mother! i tried to capture them in a moment that portrayed who they really were, best friends! happy and BEAUTIFUL people! it's a blessing to have these kind of women to set an example for me :) 

HEYYY look what i can do!

WOW the semester is officially OVER!!! it feels like just yesterday i was going to my first day and now fall semester 2011 is done and the new year is on its way! the last couple of weeks have been absolutely INSANE... between getting ready for christmas and spending time with my husband, to getting every homework assignment or project done and studying for finals, to packing for out trip to minnesota and fulfilling my church calling, there has been ZERO time for relaxation!... until NOW :)

i've finally been reunited with my second home away from home, the BEAUTIFUL minnesota! although there's no snow yet, it finally feels like christmas :) i love sitting in the guest bedroom with the heater on, cozily sitting in a pile of blankets, reading a good book. it only gets better, when i can look out the window and see the frozen icy lake down the hill, surrounded by the gnarled winter trees. it is lovely and perfect in every way :) i love having this time with my in-laws.

my last assignment for digital illustration class (which was my final studio class ever... ah!!!) was to do a piece that was based on one of the MANY themes we had decided upon in class! i had wanted to do a holocaust-children piece themed around "it's not my fault". however, i left class after the critique feeling a bit discouraged by the idea. SO i decided to do something COMPLETELY different!

in high school i LOVED to doodle... it's the only thing that got me through history and english classes :) i loved line work and making marks simply for design's sake. this semester i have tried SO VERY HARD to do pieces in a more painterly style, but it feels like it's never COMPLETELY clicked. it's time to go back to what comes naturally!

this piece was themed around the phrase "look what i can do". i decided to use some fun colors and subject matter that i enjoy! i believe it was a success :) 

it's not my fault

for digital illustration class, we were given NUMEROUS different topics and could decide upon which one we would like to paint! the one i decided to paint on is "it's not my fault". i debated doing a humorous comical piece, but then chose to do something completely different! 

recently, i studied the art of Anselm Kiefer. he's a german painter, sculptor, and photographer that does a lot of WWII subject matter. i decided that i would follow suit and do a holocaust piece.

Anselm said that growing up, nobody wanted to talk about what had happened there. the holocaust was a taboo subject. i think that the people of germany didn't want to face what had happened there. many of the nazi leaders committed suicide so that they weren't held accountable for what they had done. they didn't want to take the blame. they said, "it's not my fault." another take could be the little boy in the piece saying, "it's not my fault." this innocent child didn't do anything wrong and yet he had to pay for the mistakes of others. 

i know it's kind of a solemn subject... it's not my usual thing! i wanted to try something else though! i'm extremely fascinated by WWII in all of it's complexities! hopefully i can convey those complexities through this piece.

zzzzz

during critique i was told to "feminize" my character a bit more, to add in some more little marks (for the sake of variation) and to give the on-looker just a little bit more to SEE! i COMPLETELY agreed with these thoughts! i was happy with the piece, but i wanted MORE! 

my teacher and i discussed that a piece of art is never really "finished", the artist simply decides one day that it's done! i couldn't call this piece done, but after a little bit more work i feel that i can now call it "complete." 

i'm finding myself at a crossroads! i've done some very stylized, abstracted pieces that are more conceptual and i've tried to go down the path of realistic and detailed work! i enjoy them both! so, how am i supposed to develop a "style" if i love to do two completely different types of art!? i suppose it'll take some more mileage and discovery!

as for now, i am "finished" with the sleeping disorder editorial :)

the pain of a sleeping disorder

this week's assignment is complete as far as i can tell! we were to design an editorial image for sleeping disorders! i chose to paint about insomnia.

typically, i choose to paint very "light" subject matter. i prefer to do happy, cheery pieces! this piece i decided to take a completely different spin than i typically do! i wanted to do a very stylized piece that showed the darker side of having a sleeping disorder that impairs one's ability to receive a full night's sleep!  you can read below, on the initial blog post, to get my thought process behind this painting. 

sleeping disorder

this week's project is to create an editorial illustration on a sleeping disorder. it could be anything from night terrors to insomnia to narcolepsy, anything goes! 

i recently have been somewhat frustrated with art... i just CAN'T seem to accomplish exactly what i'm going for! each piece is ALMOST there, but i just don't know how to pinpoint what's off! SO for this week i've decided to do something a little bit more... abstract!? 

i'm going to do a rough, raw illustration of an abstracted woman who has had NO sleep. she suffers from insomnia. life appears beastly to her because she can't focus or function due to her lack of rest! 

here are a couple of rough sketches!

 

i want her to appear grotesquely colored and twisted. there's a "frame" around her to represent a mirror. this isn't her TRUE appearance, this is just how she looks to herself. then i debated putting in a couple of other abstracted characters in the background

the HAPPIEST man in the world

brother burr, my dear digital illustration teacher, asked the class the other day, "who do you think is the happiest man in the world?" without hesitation, in unison, the class said, "SANTA CLAUS!" 

this week's assignment was to do a painting of Santa Claus being the happiest man in the world! we were to illustrate WHY he is so happy! after sketching out some rough thumbnails i decided that i wanted to paint a grandfather reading the Christmas story to his grandchildren, with Santa flying by in his sleigh through the snowy Christmas eve! 

i painted and painted through all thanksgiving break and i think i've come to a pleasing finished product! there are some things that i would still refine, but for the MOST part i'm content!

i'm really REALLY quite content just to be DOING christmas-themed work! because that means it is time for CELEBRATING! that means snowmen, hot chocolate, christmas trees, caroling, MISTLETOE, and that most WONDERFUL feeling in the world! it's time to spread the good word of the Savior's birth! time to bless and be blessed!

my mother my friend :)

today is my WONDERFUL, fantastic, lovely, beautiful mother's BIRTHDAY! :) i've been reflecting this last week on the relationship that i have with this incredible woman and the lessons that i've learned from her. what a BLESSING it is to have her in my life! 

my mom's one of those ladies that you feel an INSTANT friendship with. she is one of the warmest, most charitable people i know. she can strike up a conversation with just about anyone! she has found a way to overcome the "natural woman" within her and not pass judgment on those around her. she looks past appearances and people's downfalls and sees them for who they TRULY are. she loves people the way i aspire to love people. 

she's made me who i am! she's one of my very best friends! we've laughed and cried together! we've hurt and forgiven one another! we've truly grown together through my twenty years of life! she's established a firm testimony of our savior Jesus Christ in me. she's set an example of service that has become a part of my very being! i am indebted to this woman for everything that i am! 

:) what a woman! what a blessing to have her in my life! love you mother :) happy birthday!

wedding bells

OH MAN this piece has been an emotional one! faces are SO frustrating to paint! they're just so subtle, and being even very slightly off in a proportion can COMPLETELY change the look of the face! i eventually had to just settle and call it done though! painting the head will improve with practice and time is all! check out the work of THE one-and-only jessica schaack at raeportraits.com! i used some of her INCREDIBLE photos as reference! thank you muchly schaack attack :) 

not much left!

all that's left now is the face, flower, bouquet, and RING-A-LING! :) doesn't sound like much, but that's the hardest part! oh BOY here we go

wedding painting is on it's way :)

 

 

 

this week's assignment was to create an ILLUSTRATION! AHHH our first story-telling, problem-solving art piece! all that we had to go off of is this saying... "nothing ventured, nothing gained". i wanted to do something that represents me, something that i relate to, but still has a story related. 

i did some sketches, pondered on the options, and FINALLY i came to something that i found interesting. i think that getting married is the most WONDERFUL, happy thing in the entire world! the joining of two people into one, creating a family from individuals! i ALSO think that getting married takes a HUGE leap of faith! the thought of devoting oneself ENTIRELY to another can be so scary! 

marrying my husband has left me SO completely blessed :) i would not change anything. i took that step into the unknown and can REALLY testify that if you don't venture out, you will gain nothing. 

this bride here (upon being finished) will be contemplating, nervous, and SO in love. it's a subtle illustration, but hopefully her face will portray the story. this came from photo reference taken by the BRILLIANT jessica schaack! view her incredible talent at raeportraits.com

halloWEEEEEn

we had a fun little experiment in digital scratchboard for the holiday of HALLOWEEN! :) oh GOODY! i went with frankenstein.... scratchboard is NOT my forte, but this was a great little test to tackle! AH

TEXAS MAMA :)

this memoir to my mother is COMPLETE! all i needed to fix really was just a little more variation in the hair and curls, like different sized brushes, different slaps of color, that kind of thing! now that i've added that in, i think i'm satisfied! it's funny how those little final touches can bump up a painting to the next level! 

now my big-hair, bug-eyed, lip-stick's-best-friend painting is DONE! my mama's from texas and she KNOWS the true meaning of BIG, so i grew up seeing beautiful HUGE hair! sadly, i have extremely thin, fine hair to the max so i can't quite accomplish the big-texas-hair look in real life! but lo and behold dreams come true! i can see that look on me through ART!..... and now that i see it i realize how unattractive it would be! don't want it! THEREFORE, art has saved me from a fatal day of really bad hair! THANK YOU ART :) 

some sort of me :)

this weeks assignment was to create a painting of MYSELF! easy enough right!? i've looked at this face in the mirror everyday for the last twenty years, so i SHOULD... should be able to make a decent picture of me! the catch here was that the picture is supposed to be a caricature! you may have seen these zaney portraits walking the streets of disneyland or other theme parks! basically a caricature is a face that has been exaggerated in certain areas. i decided to exaggerate the features that i thought may be most attractive... the eyes and lips... AND HAIR OF COURSE! my mama's from texas, i know a little somethin about big hair so i absolutely HAD to include some great big exaggerated curls! i'm still not completely satisfied with the painting yet... but i can't put my finger on what needs to be fixed up! HELP ME BROTHER BURR!