Hand made Coloring book and Fortune cat drawing!

Alright...made it to Friday in one piece!
Its been an intense week between watching T.Ruth Artspace gallery, creating my commissioned coloring book, working on my Fortune cat drawings and trying to finish editing the photos from my last body painting photo shoot.
But i managed!

Check out the groovy coloring book i made:

This was quite possibly one of the most interesting commissions yet. This was made for a dear blogger/etsy friend who wanted to give a "Chelsea rose art's coloring book" to her daughter for her 7th b-day.


Honestly i feel like i couldn't get a good picture of this creation- i don't think the photos do it justice. I made it with a mix of mediums: pen, ink, watercolor, watercolor paper, printer paper, decorative paper, ribbon, string, iridescent medium, yes paste and more.
The hardest part was figuring out how i was going to bind it all together. Initially i had wanted to use a sewing machine( which turned out a really bad idea since the machine i tried that with ended up having its timing screwed up) but i ended up just taking it over to OfficeMax where they spiral bound it for only $1! Now that i have made one I'm thinking about making more to put around in the local boutiques and inside my etsy shop...we shall see!

Here is my Maneki Neko inspired drawing:

original pen and ink drawing
by Chelsea Rose

.....I have always really loved the cute Japanese Fortune cat statues that you see in shops sometimes so a week or so ago i was doodling and to my surprise a very rough beginning sketch of the Maneki Neko appeared out of the blue! I took that as a good sign seeing that this symbol is a good luck totem so i decided to work on the drawing a bit more. I am thinking about eventually turning the drawing into an acrylic painting as well. If my research was correct the kanji symbol i drew means "prosperity."

Anyhow...thats what i have been up to!
So far i dont have any extravagant plans for the weekend. I will be watching T.Ruth artspace gallery for a few hours. I hope to finally finish the painting i have been neglecting...but mainly im looking forward to some quiet cozy time inside my new apartment. There has been little time for that lately and i feel i have yet to really relax/enjoy the new surroundings. So wish me luck with that endeavour!

Many blessings,
-Chelsea Rose

P.S.

SALE offer ending May 31st:

put three of my art prints on special discount:

a trio of high quality 5"x7" digital art prints
original artwork by Chelsea Rose

Limited time offer:
Buy all three of the displayed art prints for just $10
(normally priced at $7 each)

Going from left to right, I am pleased to introduce you to the Debutant,the Poetess and Masquerade Ball. I decided to put these three art prints of mine on SALE for the month of May in honor of Mother's day and spring cleaning!
click here to view the SALE listing.
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Tender Truth-body painting and weekend tidbits

So this weekend was fairly productive.

On Saturday i did another body painting/photo shoot session with a very pregnant woman:


(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Courtney)



(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Courtney)

I love doing these body painting sessions in the upper loft of T.Ruth Artspace gallery. Saturday was super stormy. It rained hard for most of the day but Courtney and I were pretty cozy all cooped up and working on making her unique pregnancy portrait pictures a reality.


It took most of the day to get the body painting finished.
We started painting around 10:00am and did not finish with it till around 3:30pm.
Its amazing how much i get to know my models during this time period. Courtney felt that while the body painting process is a tedious one...it was a good way of honoring and better understanding how much time and patience there is inherent in genuine creation- such as the creation of a child. Patience, love and righteous intent are key to a healthy creating experience.
This was my second time body painting and photographing a pregnant woman but i have a feeling it will not be the last. It seems pregnant woman have a lot of interest in having their pregnancy documented in a meaningful, unique and heartfelt manner. Courtney said she thinks i should put up fliers at her pregnant yoga class to scare up more interest. I just might do that and see where it takes me!

As far as other art projects go, i am currently a step or two away from finishing a pen and ink illustration i have been working on that is based off a very iconic symbol of prosperity: the Maneki Neko - or the Japanese fortune cat:

...i should be sharing my version sometime this week if i can manage to find the time to put the last finishing touches on my drawing.

....speaking of good fortune and prosperity- I have some great news.I am thrilled to say that my Grandmother who has been fighting lung cancer is in remission! I love you Mom Mom! Now all we have to work on is getting Pop Pop to gain some weight back and we will be in fairly good shape. :)

I am also working on an interesting commission- a coloring book! A dear who is also a friendly blogger and etsy seller had asked that i make a coloring book for her 7 year old daughter's birthday in June. I jumped at the challenge! While i have never done a project quite like this before it sounded rather irresistible. So far i have all the coloring book pages printed out. Now i have to craft the cover and do the binding. I think it might be interesting to use a heavy watercolor paper as the cover and back...and then use a sewing machine to put in some brightly colored stitching as the binding. This is a very experimental project for me- i cant wait to see how it turns out. I will be taking pictures of it to share!

Check out this amazing blog give away that is being hosted by one of my favorite blogs to read! Enter for a chance to win a custom made dread tam by Sand and Sky!

So thats all the tid bits i can muster up for today.
Good tidings and luck with this last week of May.

I do so hope that the rain will let up for Thursday since it will be the big Last Thursday artwalk on Alberta st fair. Seeing that the fair has been rained our for the last two months- we are really crossing our fingers that we will have a dry one, other wise we are going to be getting a super late start at the art vending season.

Much love always!
-Chelsea Rose



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Artwork In Progress, new home art studio + news and things

I had intended to be showing off my finished painting in this entry but alas- i didn't get it done in time so i have some "work in progress" shots to share instead!


I took these yesterday. I changed two things mainly- i did a rough/dark vignette around the painting and i changed the positing of the hands and arms a bit more. Things are still pretty rough so this weekend i hope to get in there and define the shapes better and get the color smoothly blended + make some final touches and be done!
I could have probably finished this painting this week but i had little time. Tiffany Ruth, my dear friend who is also the owner of T.Ruth Art space gallery has been in the hospital so i have been rushing over to the space after work to hang out in the gallery, greet customers, take phone calls and water the plants. Tiffany is pulling through ok- she is such a strong woman!
I think it will be another few weeks till she is back in the gallery. I do really enjoy spending time in there. In fact i will be in the gallery all day Saturday doing another body painting/photo session. So stop by and say Hi if you are in the neighborhood!

In other news i do have most of my new home art studio set up:

As you can see im still feeling the room out. Its the first time i have been able to claim an entire room to dedicate to art and art supplies. Its wonderfull to be able to walk into the room, shut the door and work with privacy and without distraction. i have been trying hard to keep my cat Sushi from coming into the room- thus hopefully making the area a cat hair free zone( which will come in handy when im painting and varnishing!) Its also such a luxery to be able contain all my art mess in one room- be able to simply shut the door and its out of sight!
All and all...im digging the new set up. I still have some boxes i need to go through but its pretty much come together by now!

Also, i wanted to share with you my new earings that i go from a friend on etsy.com!

(click to full view)
mini mushroom earrings! They were custom hand made by Rustic Rainbow. She made them as clip on earrings for me since my ears never stay pierced. They are done up in my favorite color combo: Green and Purple! I love them dearly.

I will leave you with a calming shot of my new apartment's dining window view:

This past week we have been hit by a powerful storm. The days are a manic mix of intense sunshine, sudden down pours and hail storms. I love it!

I wish everyone a lovely weekend.
Much love always,
-Chelsea Rose
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Body painting close up photos and news!

So that past week has been an eventful one. Just yesterday we finished moving to our new apartment- its amazing how much time and energy this can eat up but im happy for the change. I finally have my art space set up in a somewhat functional way so now i have little excuse not to work on the painting i have been neglecting for some time now. I hope to finish said painting this week. if all goes well on Friday i will do a blog entry to unveil the finished piece and talk about the creative process with a bunch of "work in progress" pictures.
In the meantime, last night i went through some of my body painting photos and chose 5 pictures i have yet to post that are more "close ups" then full body shots.
I wanted to share them with you:

Apparition of Truth

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Wenseay)

Your Body is Your Temple

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Jaybird)

Blissful Hope

(Body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
model: Blissful Hope)

Love Thy Self

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Ana)

Rebel Heiress

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
model: Thierra )

...I also wanted to share with you an "out take" photo that i came across last night and knew i had to post:
Powah!

This is a photo i snapped of my model Blissful Hope as we had finished up with the shoot. She had washed her face and put her clothing on and was struck by how the body painting suddenly looked like fierce tattoo sleeves with her tank top on. so she posed just like that and insisted i get my camera out and snap one. I love it! It just reminds me that granted this body painting/photo project takes a lot of energy to generate but I have so much fun doing these shoots!

I have another pregnant body painting shoot scheduled for this Saturday inside T.Ruth Artspace gallery, so i am excited and looking forward to the weekend.
Thus far this body painting project has been a fascinating adventure. I am thrilled to have gotten to know the women who volunteered to be a part of the project. Their personal strengths and beauty have lent so much amazing energy- its extremely inspiring for me. I'm excited to see what the next step/level to this project might entail.

Id also like to give thanks, praise and many blessings to Tiffany Ruth, the owner of T.Ruth Art space where i have been painting and photographing my models. Tiffany is currently in the hospital due to medical complications. She should be released in a few days but I'm asking for those who can spare some good vibe to send it her way. She is an amazing and dear friend, strong and beautiful independant woman and an amazing asset and Jewel to the artistic community. I give thanks to her for all that she has done for me! I feel truly blessed to have her presence in my life.

Much love to all!
-Chelsea Rose
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The Space art collective grand opening and weekend progress

So!
Danny and I had a tun of fun on Friday.
We drove over to Vancouver Washington for the First Friday art shenanigans that included The Space art collectives grand opening night!
It was a total swoon. i am in love!
There was drumming, poetry reading, live community painting, local music, face painting and more!
Here is a peek into the drum circles:

( photos and compilation by the dear Anni Becker )
The beats were strong and full of wonderful intent!
It lasted for a good while before coming to a close so that we could enjoy more local musics.

and then came the live community canvas painting:

( more wonderful photos by friend and photographer Anni Becker)
Here you can see Danny jumping into the community canvas at full throttle- painting Ganesha!

This was the end result of the live community canvas free for all painting:

( another photo by Anni!)
a wondrous, spontaneous community creation.
As Danny helped paint the community piece i was busy giving and receiving face paintings!!


( photo by Danny)
And thus the face painting madness began. Here i am painting Kelly Keigwin(a dear heart and amazing artist) ....and not for the first time either. i have a feeling this will become a well cherished ritual at such art collective opening nights and i look forward to many more!


( photo by Kelly Keigwin)
here i am painting Colleen! Another main member and creator at The Space art collective, whom i truly enjoy interacting and trading creative energy with!


( photo by Kelly Keigwin)
and here i am painting Anni's face...which she then turned around and painted my own- imagine my delight!


(photo by Kelly Keigwin)

and so here we were:

(photo by Danny)
...i dare say a wondrous time was had by all!
On our way home Danny and I stopped by the Guerilla Gallery to enjoy some late night musical musing from more local artists.
I went home with a big goofy Cheshire grin on my face.

The rest of the weekend seemed to pass in a blurr. On Saturday Danny and I drove all around town hunting for treasure at estate and garage sales. Since we will be moving soon we are lookin for some new area rugs and furniture. We found a super groovy lavender shag carpet that was huge along with a few other awesomely wonderful area rugs, end table, book shelf and much more. We filled up our car's hatch back and decided to call it quits for the day.
Sunday we enjoyed the morning, danny made soyrizo breakfast tacos. We then took a nice long walk around the neighborhood( trying to make sure we do get some regular exercise)....the weather was perfect. The sun was up but not glaring and the breeze was choice and comfortable. By the end of the day however, the sky turned grey again so we headed in doors and got a lot of packing done( it finally does feel like we are moving!)
So that wraps up the weekend bizz. i didnt get much of any work in on any of my art projects- in fact most of my art supply is already packed and ready to be relocated. So we shall see when i get to finished my current work in progress, perhaps it will be sometime we move and the dust has a chance to settle.

Hope all is well with everyone and that the weekend was sweet.
best wishes for this new week.

Many blessings,
-Chelsea Rose
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A new drawing and stuff on SALE

Hello all!
Not much has been going on other then gearing up the mind, body and stuff for the move to a new apartment.
But i did do some doodling a few nights ago:

(original pen and ink drawing by Chelsea Rose)
...so i thought i would share.

I have also done some more painting on my current work in progress. Now i have gone in and done a dark vignette around the subject while adding more highlights and shading into the main details. I'm pretty much finished now i just have to work on the hands...so hopefully i will have some time this weekend to get it done and photographed to share come Monday. We shall see...i might be busy garage sale hunting for rugs, sofas, dressers and patio chairs. Wish me luck!

In the meantime i wanted to announce a few items i have put into SALE mode in our etsy shop:

I put three of my art prints on special discount:

a trio of high quality 5"x7" digital art prints
original artwork by Chelsea Rose

Limited time offer:
Buy all three of the displayed art prints for just $10
(normally priced at $7 each)

Going from left to right, I am pleased to introduce you to the Debutant,the Poetess and Masquerade Ball. I decided to put these three art prints of mine on SALE for the month of March in honor of Mother's day and spring cleaning!
click here to view the SALE listing.

Also up for SALE:

Purple Mushroom screen print dress!
Original price: $30
SALE price: $20
click here to see sale listing for more details and photos!

...its hard to believe this dress hasn't sold yet. Its perfect for spring and summer. ...this is truly a one of a kind dress, you wont find another like it! The purple dress was found in a super groovy thrift shop and it had just begged for a new creative makeover. Danny hand designed the mushroom and then hand screen printed it onto the dress and a few other shirts. The screen print has since been retired and this is one of the few articles of clothing with the print that has yet to sell! If you are a lover of Mushrooms...and purple, how could you resist!?

So thats it for now folks!
Have a wonderful weekend, peace be with you.
-Chelsea Rose
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May is here- new beginnings!

So its May already? That means my two gallery shows have come to an end. On Sunday i went to InOtherWords feminist bookstore to take down my artwork which had been on display for the entire month of April. Today after work i go downtown to grab my artwork from the Practical Magic show. It was a great month with wonderful opportunities! I'm excited to see what May has in store.
...Speaking of new beginnings Danny and I had our rental applications approved for a glorious 2 bedroom apartment that we have had our eye on for a couple weeks now. Thus...we will be moving in another week! And yes...this does in fact mean i finally get an art room vs an art corner!
So on Saturday we went on over to the rental office and put a deposit down that takes the place off the market. We will be signing contracts come Wednesday...and then the moving maddess will begin!
Danny got a new lens for his camera so i was playing with it over the weekend. Its an 18-55mm ...which is significantly wider then his other lens. The wider lens really allows for more versatility. It can focus up to 11 inches close to the subject...and captures so much more of the suroundings too!
...i also found out that i can actually take pictures of myself using this lense without having to set up a tripod:

so yes...here are a few shots done in the oh so cliché "stretch you arm out far enough and snap your photo" self portrait way. Fun huh?
my dreads are about 16 months old now. they stopped shrinking but they still seem to be getting fatter. cant wait till i finally grow some length.


here is a snapshot i took of danny as he was daydreamin on the couch. He was talking about cutting off his dreadlocks once we are finished moving to the new apartment as a sort of "cleansing" ritual sorta thing. I am going to miss his dreadies. This is the longest he has ever had his hair.

I also wanted to share a goodie i got in the mail on Friday:

My Aunt Char sent me this really cool head wrap in the mail. It was a great surprise and the wrap is super bright and colorfull.
I loved what the label said- " Life is an illusion, dress accordingly."
Thanks Aunt Char! I love it :)

So thats about it! It may prove to be a busy week. We have to find some moving boxes and start packing all the books and trinkets. Im really looking forward to this move. Change can be a beautiful thing.

I wish you all health, happiness and success in this new month!
Much love,
-Chelsea Rose
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