Mutual of Omaha - My Aha Moment

Mutual of Omaha has a program where people share a little snippet about a life-changing moment called "My Aha Moment."

They recently were on tour in their sweet little airstream and invited me to share my story.

I had a blast, the team was great, and here are the results...

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I'm happy!

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I've been busy enjoying the infinite beauty of nature...

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And I'm trusting that this time I am taking to nourish myself

will soon be reflected in my art.

{hopefully very soon}

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Until then, please enjoy 50% off my work at Unconventional Ida

with code: IMBACK

This past year...

I have tried writing a big long post to explain my last year, but I am finding it impossible. So many things happened and they are all so intertwined that it could easily be a novel and not a short blog post. So, I'll give you a list. I am sure in the future I will touch on a lot of things in this list, but for right now, it is all I have in me.

1. I was laid off from my job {that was okay. I didn't care for it much anyway.}
2. I began to work as a full-time artist.
3. My mother and I became estranged.
4. My grandfather's pancreatic cancer came back.
5. I spent an extended period of time in Pennsylvania to help care for him.
6. My grandfather died.
7. I got a new job.
8. I moved to a new town.
9. My husband and I were divorced.
10. I started to travel.

So, there it is. The list.

I've barely picked up a pencil since my grandfather died. Six months without a creative outpouring. I am putting this immense pressure on myself to create something different. My thoughts are- my life is different and this should be reflected in my work.

And that's were I stand.

I would love to open up a dialogue about any of this, so please feel free to ask questions, comment, or share about any similar experiences...

reporting from a new location...

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ON DECK Auction

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Two days left to bid on the skate deck I designed!

All proceeds go to the skatepark & you get a sweet board.

How can you go wrong with that?

Click on either of the pictures above to check out all of the decks.

{mine is the fifth row down, third from the left}

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I have a lot of news to share,

but right now I'm in Boston 

soaking up a little city life

&

taking lots of photos.

I promise I'll be back soon...

tattoo tuesday

Cheesy post title, I know. I just couldn't help it. *^_^*

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Last year I posted about someone getting a Sister Kiute & the Bumblebee tattoo {above}. Now there are a few of my sweet Bellarosa popping up {below}! The one on the very bottom took a few details from my other Dia de los Muertos girls and combined them together. I think she looks awesome!

I've had quite a few requests about using my Day of the Dead girls for tattoos. I'm totally cool with it~ all I ask is that you send me a picture. 

I can't wait to see more!

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I've been pondering the idea of getting a new tattoo for a while now.  My biggest struggle is whether or not I should design it. For some reason I waffle back and forth between my work or the work of someone else. What do you think about artists designing their own tattoos?

back to business

The past three months have been a roller coaster. 

Holiday fairs and shows bled into a nearly month-long visit to Pennsylvania. While there, I created "The Grandfathers," spent the last holiday season with my own grandfather, and helped he and my grandmother out as his illness progressed.

The first week in January, I flew back to Montana, set up my show, and had the opening. It was a wonderful night, and it felt great to be surrounded by friends.

I wasn't home long. Cancer, the evil beast that it is, confined my grandfather to a hospital bed {thankfully in his own home} a week and a half after I left. My sister and I made the decision to hop on a plane and head back to Pennsylvania. Without getting into any details, I will just say that I now have a deeper respect for those people who choose to be caretakers.

"Tickled Pink" and "Dreams of Spring" were opening soon, and I needed to head back to Missoula to ship my pieces to Tasty and hang my work at Bernice's.

A few days after we left, and before my opening, my grandfather died.

There is no way I can convey how important he is to me in a few short sentences. {I was born on his 50th birthday, his first grandchild. We spent nearly every birthday together. the ones we missed, I can count on one hand}. I'm going to save these thoughts and stories for what I hope to be a well-crafted essay honoring his life and his influence on mine.  

For the past month, I feel like I have been stuck on the aforementioned roller coaster. You know the straight part of the track, after all of the ups and downs, when the coaster slows before the end of the ride? That is where I spent February~ not touching a pencil or a piece of wood.

It is time to get off the ride.

Thank you to all of you who have stuck around this stagnant blog and artist. I hope that I won't disappoint in the future. I have an opening on April 1st to prepare for and a few other things I can't wait to share with you!

Monster Giveaway!

Remember the Monster Valentines that I was working on the other week? Well, I've finished them and I have a special surprise~ I made them for you! I have ten sweet little valentines that I will send off to the first ten people who leave a comment on this post {only one per person, please} and send me an e-mail with their address at:

stellalatwinski{at}gmail{dot}com

There are no strings attached. All I ask is that you let these little guys put a smile on your face from time to time.

Happy Sunday!

dreaming a little more...

Below are a few of my newest pieces for "Dreams of Spring." The areas on the work that look yellow are actually gold paint & pigment. I wish I was better at translating that through photography~ the pieces shimmer in the most delightful way.

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The gold frames below will hold illustrated flowers,

and the black frame will contain a small diorama.
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I photographed the beginning steps of my flowers.

Here is a peek~
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Now I have to 

finish the green and blue flowers,

add gold circles,

varnish the piece,

attach in frame {under glass},
and repeat.
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If you are in the Missoula area, you should definitely pop into Bernice's and check them out~ the show opens tomorrow!

IF*surrender

the need to create

While I am not looking to discover the next radical miracle, I do strive to live my life with constant curiosity and wonder. One of the things that I love the most about myself is my imagination. My hands and mind are truly at the peak of happiness when something is taking shape in their care~ whether it be a new piece of artwork, or a daydream. Wanting to infuse my desire to create into nearly every aspect of my life, I am, naturally, always looking for new uses for found objects.

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Yesterday, two wine crate panels caught my eye at the antique store. I thought it would be fun to turn them into jewelry racks like the one I created back in September. 

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I used varnish, black screws, hemp rope and a drill to turn my wooden crate panels into a wonderful way to display some of my favorite jewelry pieces.

But,  

the most important part to me~ 

Making them made my heart smile.
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