A Whimsical Bohemian

Open for Business

Sound the trumpets!!!


BEAT THE DRUMS!


MY ETSY SHOP AT LAST IS DONE!!!


Please forgive the blatant commercialism but if I don't advertise it who will? Right?
Thank you for your support.
XOXO
Love,
Lisa

"A Whimsical Bohemian-The Shoppe" Grand Opening Preview AND a magazine article

WOOHOO!! It's finally happening!! I don't know why it's taken me so long to get there but get there I have.

Here is a preview of some of what will be in A Whimsical Bohemian - The Shoppe
"A Face in the Crowd - The Series"
 All of these are done on 10" round canvases(1/2"thick) and no two will ever be exactly alike.

Each face has some kind of embellishment(s) to enhance the design and personality of the face

I use various kinds of acrylic paints, watercolors, pastels, colored pencils and other mediums to create the paintings and all of them are sealed upon completion.

Each one has a name and a bit of a story

There will be no prints made of these.

 I am very much in to faces and tend to notice a persons eyes first and foremost which is why my paintings have such large eyes. Also, all the paintings in this series will always have round faces.

I plan to keep them going and will periodically introduce new faces from the "crowd" to the Shoppe.

I enter this venture with the only expectation being HOPE that others like what they see.

So without further adieu I would like to introduce the "crowd" by name.......(their individual stories will appear when they are placed in the Shoppe)

(ALL art work on this blog are under strict ©Lisa Swifka and may not be reproduced, copied, reused or posted in any way)

"Butterfly McQueen"

 

"Butterfly McQueen" close up

"Cosette Dupree"

 

"Cosette Dupree closeup"

"Cosette Dupree" from the side.

 

"Deesee de Soleil"

(sun goddess)

"Deesee de Soleil" closeup

 

"Deesee de Soleil" from the side

 

"Holly Day-Partay"

 

"Holly Day-Partay" close up

 

"Holly Day-Partay"  closeup of hat

 

"Hyacinth Foxglove"

 

"Hyacinth Foxglove" closeup

 

"Hyacinth Foxglove" from side

 

"Ima T'Pott"

 

"Ima T'Pott" Close up

 

"Ima T'Pott" from the side

 

"Koito"

 

"Koito" closeup

 

"Koito" from the side

 

"Mary L. Brooks"

 

"Mary L. Brooks" closeup

 

"Mary L. Brooks" from side

 

"Namaste 1"

 

"Namaste 1 close up"

 

"Namaste 1 from side"

 

"Namaste 2"

 

"Namaste 2" closeup

 

"Namaste 2" from side

 

"Pinkie Skidoo"

 

"Pinkie Skidoo" closeup

 

"Pinkie Skidoo" from the side

 

"Sonatina Maestro"

 

"Sonatina Maestro" close up

 

"Sonatina Maestro" close up2

I hope you enjoyed seeing the faces in my crowd....I enjoy having them around but they are anxious to move on to new places and new experiences.
Now you know what's been keeping me from blogging much or reading other blogs or answering timely emails.
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In another piece of news:

In the brand new issue of Artful Blogging there is a lovely article about One World One Heart and me (pg 100). I feel very happy that it is receiving such wonderful press, especially in a publication I look forward to 4 times a year. Also congrats to those whose OWOH giveaways are pictured in the article. Thank you so much Christen and Sara!!


As tired as I am  being able to do what I love is a blessing that I do not take for granted.  I encourage everyone to do the same. ♥ Sometimes doing what you love means focusing on yourself and the time you need to do it. I feel I always want to apologize for not visiting blogs like I used to but to apologize looks like I feel that I am doing something wrong. But you know what, it's not wrong to fully immerse yourself in your dreams for a time, don't you think?  ♥


Thank you for stopping by, thank you for hanging in there with me, thank you for encouraging me all these years, thank you for being you......my beloved blogger friends!
XOXOXOXO
Love,
Lisa

Absolutely focused!

In the meantime have a red velvet cupcake for stopping by.



I KNOW, I KNOW...........it's all I talk about. I am always apologizing for not commenting on blogs............It's all I keep saying.......... but truly, madly, deeply I have been at this all day every day, 7 days a week. And now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.......or should I say the beginning .......because this week starts the next part of the adventure.
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Being on Twitter is interesting. I find it's quite like a group of people on a train, all facing forward, no one is speaking TO one another.....BUT every few minutes someone speaks outloud. "I just saw a beautiful sheep"..........   "I am reading the best book".............. "Did you hear about that woman in the news?".................."Wow this coffee is good".....and so on.  All the while no one really says anything back to the other person....well sometimes they do. But for the most part it's just a way to say what you are currently doing, pursuing, eating, seeing, feeling, promoting, working on, ............and others know it as it happens.Oh and on Twitpic you can post photos of things as they happen or whatever you want..... It really is rather interesting in a voyeuristic kind of way...... so if you're interested I'm on that train too -......I'm passenger whimsicalboho.

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I love and miss you all...........I miss those days of visiting one another and knowing what we're all up to.....it's coming back though....it really is!
I hope you are having a most wonderful start to your week!
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Love,
Lisa

One more mention of weather and a frustrating experience

The fog has rolled in..............there is an ever so slight breeze that actually requires wearing a light cardi today.........the air is cool and I am absolutely loving it!





Now no more weather talk!

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So here's what happened to me......I decided to join Twitter. I don't know why and I don't know that I'll keep up with it on a daily basis but I thought why not give it a go. I also have Twitpics.  All was going fine........all set up.........starting to follow people, some following me........set up my background, my profile, my profile photo.  All was copacetic UNTIL this morning and without provocation I click on my profile and it's someone else entirely. I decide to logout and go back in and it won't let me. I try using my URL and it goes to that other person.  I email Twitter and they say problem seems resolved. So I try to login again and yes it lets me in BUT EVERYTHING I had done, every change, every follower is completely gone! It looks like I signed up but didn't go any further. I have now sent 3 emails to them BEGGING them to get my account back with everything in tact......still no answer.   To say I am frustrated is an understatement. To say I am questioning my decision to get in to this is an understatement.  I mean how in one fell swoop did everything just get eradicated like that? I did nothing out of the ordinary.
So tell me, if you are on Twitter have you EVER encountered this before?
I wanted to put the widget on my sidebar for Twitpics and cannot find the code for it anywhere. If anyone out there knows about this please advise. I don't want Twitter updates on my blog, just the Twitpic photo updates.
I swear, this is what happens when you finally decide to do something that you weren't sure about doing in the first place!
*INSERT HEAVY SIGH*

UPDATE as of 11:45 PM....(as if anyone truly cares about this)

Mysteriously (and without notifying me they fixed it) my Twitter seems to have miraculously reappeared in tact.

*shrugs*

oh, should you want to find me there.......... whimsicalboho

(I fixed the link)

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Back to the studio...........

Love,
Lisa
(cooler but hot under the collar)
XOXO

It's Earth Day!

 

THE EARTH IS WHAT WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON
-W. Barry

Love,
Lisa
XOXO

P.S. The heat here is setting records previously held in 1906 for temps like this in April.
I think Mother Nature is having hot flashes!

I'm mellllllllltiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnng..........

It's HOT here............it's not supposed to be like this in April........it's searing the sidewalks, beating on the houses and causing "spare the air days" and warnings to those sensitive to the heat. It's interrupting sleep and making "cranky" the theme word.  Our window ACs aren't in yet and the fans spread about are just moving hot air. All the blinds are closed to try and keep the hot rays out so the house is darkened AND hot! It's even HOT on the coast so there's no relief going towards the ocean.... although I would like to be standing in the water right now.
If you know me at all you will know I don't do well with heat. I am not a hot weather gal in the slightest.  My perfect day is a blue sky, slight breeze, 69-70 degrees. Oh that kind of day makes me so happy and so productive!
"They" talked about heat but we didn't expect THIS.
I'm a slug........I'm whiny........and so are the kitties..........not good!



I'm still working in my studio hoping the paint doesn't melt along with me.
I'm puffy.
You didn't need to know all of this I know but just in case we talked or emailed you'll know ahead of time what my mood is.
Maybe a cold shower will help..............or a bunch of them.

Love,
Listless (I mean Lisa)
XOXO

P.S. I did get this new flat screen TV for my studio over the weekend. It's an off brand but the picture is great and so much easier to place in the room than the old TV with that huge long back to it. It even has a built in DVD player so I can watch movies while I work.



Oh and speaking of movies............I have to say in all honesty Grey Gardens: The HBO Film (after all the anticipation) was a disappointment. For me anyway. The pace was very slow and at times quite dry.  Jessica Lange's portrayal of Big Edie in her later years was the better of the two actresses overall. Although there were some moments in Little Edie's 50's where Drew Barrymore gave a good performance.  It left questions unanswered......it leaves the viewers to make their own assumptions of events and relationships without giving you a clearer history. Again, my opinion. It proved one thing for sure and that is you can't ever capture the real thing through a theatrical movie..........watching the documentary and the subsequent DVD they released of other footage....that's who they were....the real deal.  I almost wish they hadn't chosen to make this new film at all.  
I will be curious to know what others who saw the film thought, especially if you've also seen the real documentary.
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Ok, now I am going to stand with my head in the freezer!
Have a wonderful day!

Blissfully Productive

"Life's Juggling Act"

I am still in the grasp of working in my studio and juggling household stuff and life stuff and trying to catch 5 minutes in the fresh air (now that the wind has subsided).  It's all good and all blissfully productive (but time consuming) and there is barely time to stop for meals some days. 
I hope to have an announcement in the next week or so and then you will see what has had me so extremely focused elsewhere.
If I owe you an email, a phone call, a visit..........please know it's nothing personal.

Have a most delicious weekend!

Lots of Love,
Lisa
XOXO

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A few reminders:

• Project Blogway has been postponed until the end of summer
• Don't forget to watch Grey Gardens tomorrow night on HBO. If you don't have HBO hopefully someone you know can tape it for you somehow. (I am sure there will be plenty of us doing our own reviews afterwards)
• Hug those you love and let them know how important they are
• Look in the mirror and let yourself know how important you are
• SMILE

Windy days,the importance of NEVER judging someone merely from appearance and a movie reminder

The wind began to switch the house to pitch

And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch......

Ok, maybe a broom hasn't flown by with a witch on it or a rowboat  BUT it IS so windy here I have to think that Munchkinland can't be far off.
I am still working feverishly in the studio and while the wind whistles outside my windows I am inside heading toward the finish line.
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In the meantime here is something for you if you haven't heard of her yet..........
TRULY it proves to never judge a book by it's cover........or more importantly don't look at someone and think you've sized them up merely by their appearance. So much substance is behind what you may see and ultimately think you know about a person.
This darling woman below went for it in a big way and showed all those naysayers and eye rollers in that audience (and the judges) it's important to shut up and pay attention!

(The imbed code on YouTube was disabled so click on the photo to see the video......)

Trust me, it's worth a watch my friends.....her lovely Scottish accent is quite thick you may find it hard to understand her at times when she speaks.  I ended up with goosebumps and tears!

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AND A MOVE REMINDER...........

For all those Grey Gardens fans out there (like me) this Saturday the 18th on HBO the feature film debuts starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange playing Big Edie and Little Edie Beal.  Although admittedly I had reservations about the casting for this film..... having seen the trailer I was surprised how they brought Big and Little Edie back to life in way that wasn't a caricature. A lot of research was done by Drew Barrymore herself to get the true character of Little Edie down.....up to and including cutting herself off from everyone and everything for 3 months to see what that life was like....working with a dialect coach.....reading Little Edie's journals and so on.  I am also amazed at how Jessica Lange was truly able to capture Big Edie in her elder years. I will be watching the entire film with an open mind and hopefully in the end I will be relieved of my original trepidation.
The Beale's are larger than life characters and I have to think they may have approved of this movie.....at least I like to think so.
Watch the trailer below.........

 Now I better batten down the hatches as that wind is really howling out there......when I go out my hair literaly stands on end!
See you real soon!!
I hope you're all having a great week so far!!!
Love,
Lisa
XOXOXO

HAPPY EASTER ONE AND ALL!!!

Love,
Lisa
XOXO

The wash, new babies, new art and cat hair...............

I am still busy in the studio much to the chagrin of the ever growing piles of laundry being sorely neglected. I'm afraid G may have to wear a loin cloth if I don't tackle some of it soon! I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that the laundry suffers and yet I only have to go out to the garage to put a load in and can come right in and get back to painting.  When I think of how women had to lug their baskets the river or stand in front of a washboard I feel like a lazy bum. Scrubbing by hand they looked older than their years and their hands were no doubt raw from the soap they had to make and use. I am sure their backs ached and it had to be done regardless of the season.


 Here I have all the modern conveniences and it still stacks up on me anyway.  Oh Suzy Homemaker I am not....ok I am in a way but in my own way. There are so many women out there who have homes where you could eat off the floors........shiny surfaces everywhere and dust is just not allowed. In my house you get cat hair.  Now don't get me wrong, it's not "board of health" bad.......no, no, no.........but I DO neglect certain other modern conveniences now and then. Oh say the vacuum and a dust rag. I'm like the child who wants to go out and play rather than do their homework. You know?  BUT there does come a time when you have to forge through and put the paints down and do what needs to be done. It does make for a clearer head when those other things aren't niggling at the back of your mind....."There are no towels"........"I need clean socks"......."the dust bunnies just held a coup"..........."When did the living room rug grow hair?"......... Well you get the picture.
Guess what I'll be doing today and it's raining out so I have to cover each load back and forth from the garage...............oh poor me. NOT!


On a different and much more wonderful note we have a new great nephew (G's side of the family) born yesterday at a whopping 9 lbs 8 oz.

I could just eat him up he's so cute! When we got the pic G and I both just oohed and awed.
I MELT seeing babies. I LOVE babies. I miss being able to hold a baby because we don't know anyone near by who has one.. This sweet boy is the 3rd grandchild for my sister-in-law and bro-in-law.
THEN a dear friend sent me an email this morning to let me know her eldest daughter gave birth to her 4th child yesterday too....a boy. (No pics yet).  It was a day for babies!
All of these people live out of state but hopefully we'll see them all soon!
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I do get to hang out with my friends grandson D now and then so that helps as I so miss little kids around. Not having any of our own we won't get to be grandparents. In fact he was here a couple of weeks ago and I let him paint in my studio, he loved it! He hadn't been here before because I always go over my friends house when he's there. Anyway, he walked around the house looking at everything and then while he was painting (can you believe I didn't take a picture!!!!!) he looks at me and says "Is this your house? You live here?" to which I responded yes and yes.
He smiled and said "your house is so cool!" (he's 4)
AH HA! ......he didn't care one bit about dust or cat hair or laundry!
He can come here anytime he wants!!

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FINALLY I'll leave you with a piece I am nearly finished with..... I'm just going to let it speak to me as I'm thinking there are words to be added. It's on 12"x12" birch board.  Sometimes I start something and after tons of layers it takes on a mind of its own....I like when that happens because often times I like am happier with the result I didn't plan on.
The canvases I was waiting for arrived so I am anxious to get back to the other series that Daisy and Lucy gave you a peek of.
Oh yes, speaking of them.........they're still pleading their case.



Have a most wonderful day!!!

THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE:
Project Blogway has been postponed until the end of summer.
So if you haven't done your design yet there is plenty of time!!!

Love from the rinse cycle,
Lisa
XOXO