Debbie Overton Designs

Art Biz Coach close-out SALE

It is no secret I think Alyson Stanfield is one of the best resources for artists and the Art Biz Coach is selling all of her current audio programs for artists up to 38% off through July 16th.  Are you ready to "Clear Out Your Inbox Once and For All" or "Install Your Art Exhibit Like a Pro" or maybe "Gain Art Career Insight from Artists with Experience"?  These are just a few of the MP3 audio downloads available for purchase.  I have been very happy with everything I have purchased from Alyson and her websites are filled with great resources.  Ready to shop?

Click on the image or HERE to be taken to the sale!

2010...Exhibit...Future...Wallpaper

I am participating in my first exhibit of the year at the Glynn Art Association, New Year 2010: Expand Your Horizons, January 4th thru 31st at 319 Mallery Street, Saint Simons Island, Georgia.  The Opening Reception is Thursday, January 7th from 5 to 7 PM.  If you are in the area, hope to see you there!

Soon I will have the other exhibits I will be participating in listed on my website and blog.  As I posted back in December I have my plans and goals for 2010 journaled and awaiting my return back to the online art world January 11th.  Don't want to give away to much right now, but after last summer's reality check with my health, I made the decision to play, explore new venues and just be in the moment to see where it leads me.  Fun awaits me, that I know for sure!

Wallpaper for Charity, go here if you missed the original post.  January sales will be donated to the American Diabetes Association!

Until Next Time....

Debbie

Collage Camp ~ Big Bad Voodoo Daddy ~ Art

Remember back in elementary school you couldn't wait to buy all your school supplies weeks before classes started?  Well that was me weeks ago...no it has been a month and although classes started weeks ago, my supplies are still waiting on me to get started.  I knew when I signed up for KC Willis' Collage Camp workshop I would not be able to start right away.  Every day I glance over at my pile of growing fabrics, canvas, vintage jewelry, birds nest paper, lace, trims and more....and think...today I will get caught up so I can start.  By the end of this week I will have my fabrics ripped and soaking in their coffee bath to give them that old worn vintage look. 

As much as I would like to just put other things on the back burner and start on my Collage Camp project, I have obligations to others that must come first plus I am trying to get as much done for my July exhibit before we fly home for my niece's wedding the first of June.

Steve left Tuesday afternoon on a business trip and KC who just came home Sunday from college couldn't wait to unload all of her stuff and pack a bag to go with him.  It was a hard decision....Pool or Mom....Daddy Steve or Mom....Dinner out restaurant of her choice or Mom....Room Service or Mom!  I usually go on these trips with him, but I have been gone more than I have been home lately and I just couldn't do it this time.  It does both of them good to spend this time together....I don't know who enjoys it more KC or Steve.

And I have 7 days to work like a mad woman....slinging paint, ripping fabrics, taking care of the business side of running a business and the list goes on and on.  So it is back to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (I love their new CD the kids gave me for my Birthday and Steve upgraded my phone to a Red Blackberry with their ring-tone, Who's Got the Action) while I paint for a while before hitting the bed.

 

p.s.  I almost forgot.  KC is now offering the Collage Camp Workshop on DVD.

March catch up.....

WOW...things have been happening around here and I have found myself going 24/7 and still can't keep up so this will be a catch up to a few things.

Let's start with finds from this morning.....It's not a Secret!.....

February 9th (HERE) I posted I was featured on Womenwise Marketing and I have received several emails and a few phone calls asking if I would share my secret to getting my name out there.  Girls it is no secret, anyone can do it.  You just have to do a little leg work or as some do keep tabs on other blogs to see what they are doing.  As for Womenwise Marketing, I have been receiving Kelly's newsletter for sometime now and she invites you to complete a questionnaire to be featured.  That's all there is to it.  So if you are a women in business visit Kelly Watson's website Womenwise Marketing and complete her questionnaire and you too could be featured.  I can't promise you will be featured, but if you don't try you will never know. I will even give you the direct link just as I did the girls that contacted me.  Good Luck and I look forward to hearing "You are featured" on Kelly's site soon.  Don't forget to sign up for her newsletter while you are there!

Marketing yourself just takes time and persistence.  It is not something you do for a few days or weeks and then move on to something else.  You work at it non-stop reaching for quality contacts, not quantity!  It will pay off not always right then, but somewhere along the way.

Exhibition....

I along with several of the MMCA Marketplace members were invited to participate in an exhibition at Arts on Union Gallery & Studio in Middletown, PA "Celebrating Women In History" during the month of March, featuring paintings, jewelry, photography & more by local, regional and national women artists.  Thanks Christine Goldbeck!

Gifts......

KC's boyfriend participated in an event on Ossabaw Island just south of Savannah during part of his Spring Break and while there he collected a few seashells for me.  Tell me he is not trying to stay on my good side!

MMCA.....

As most of you know MMCA has a new home and the neighborhood is growing.  To quote my friend and artist, Elaine Brady Smith..."The social networks are your front porch or your neighborhood. You can walk about and see what everyone is doing...what is going on in your community. You don't have to if you don't want to...you can just stay to yourself and be quiet if you choose...but if you want to...everyone is there and you can have a look-see at what they are up to and report on your own shenanigans, show your pictures and join in discussions whenever you want."  If you would like to be a part of MMCA's social network, we invite you to join us.

And until next time.....I leave you with just a small grouping of treasures I have collected since our move here.  The small jars are from special beach days at St. Simons Island, Fernandina Beach and Ponte Verde Beach.  Each jar in filled with shells collected and the tops have been labeled with the beach and date.

"Broke All The Rules" on Exhibit at Arts on Union

The MMCA Marketplace Group Exhibition is well under way thanks to Christine Goldbeck, Marketplace member and owner of Arts on Union Gallery & Studio in Middletown PA.  "Broke All The Rules" is one of three pieces I have on exhibit.  To see more photos courtesy of Christine see the Marketplace Exhibition Album on our Blog.

 

 

Nine in 2009

Ask me what I will be doing this year?  Creating day and night.....I now have nine  exhibitions on my calendar for 2009!!  I received the last one yesterday in the mail....

Dear Debbie, blah, blah, blah,....The OHC Art Exhibit committee has met and scheduled you to exhibit your work during the month of July.  blah, blah, blah......

Excited?  Yes, as I had written this one off since I had not heard from them and they receive a huge number of applications to consider for 8 months, but I made it.  This will be my second time to exhibit at the Okefenokee Heritage Center in Waycross GA as "Artist of the Month".  I will be sharing the gallery walls with the awesome watercolorist, Kathy Rennell Forbes from just outside of Atlanta.  Kathy sent me a very nice email last night to say Hi and that she was looking forward to sharing the exhibit with me, as well as us meeting.

You will find my 2009 exhibitions listed on my website here. 

Some of you don't miss a thing and I am still laughing.  A few days ago on Facebook I said something along the lines of I finally opened the box of beads and supplies I had ordered before the holidays.  Within minutes I received emails wanting to know if I too was going to start doing jewelry, I didn't know you did jewelry, etc.

So to put minds at ease....yes I did order myself some beads and new supplies and yes I just now have had time to open the box.  It came while I was out of town for the holidays.  What do I have planned.....to do a few pieces for myself at the moment.  The old saying, been there, done that, have t-shirt is true for me and the jewelry.  Many, many years ago I did make bracelets and necklaces.  Did I enjoy it?  yes, enough that at some point I would like to get back into it, but not full time and not right now.  I am a firm believer in there is a time and place for everything and as I said on my blog several months ago this is not my time....I have way too many things going on right now to spend the many hours that it takes to create unique one-of-a-kind jewelry.  I will leave that to the many well respected jewelry artists that I have grown to know and respect. 

For those that are not sure if marketing pays off especially in this economy.  I can say, yes it does.  I recently sold two pieces I had in the MMCA Marketplace shop thanks to all the marketing we have been doing there.  There is Power In Numbers!

The above photo was taken in Parrott, GA just outside of Columbus.....a very small town with a couple great little antique shops, a Bar-B-Q place and a little grocery store / gas station all in a 2 block area.  Yep, that's about it except for the friendly folks that live there.  Everyone waves and speaks.  The kind of place you enjoy stopping.

Back to my to-do list!

 

 

Breast Cancer Research

For the month of October, 10% of all sales beginning today, Oct 1st through Oct 31st will go to Breast Cancer Research! 

This includes original mixed media collages in my MMCA Marketplace shop, art on exhibit at GlynnArt Gallery on St. Simons Island, JIAA Goodyear Cottage on Jekyll Island and at the Okefenokee Heritage Center in Waycross as well as the original Antique & Vintage Paper Packages to use in your artwork in my Etsy shop!

Full Moon & Art News

As I turned off the highway onto our street I was looking directly into the most gorgeous full moon and you guessed...I grabbed my camera and started shooting.  This was my favorite out of 20 or so photos.  I can remember as a kid growing up out in the middle of nowhere on a huge farm we could not wait for the full moon.  We would invite friends over and we played outside as long as we could.  No night lights, no street lights, just the light from the moon shining so bright you could do almost anything you wanted.  Then I grew up moved away to city lights and street lights for years until I moved to Georgia almost out in the middle of nowhere again.  When the moon is full I can walk around in our home at night without turning on a single light with all the windows we have and as I look out into the yard I can picture a ton of kids coming over to our home to play by the light of the moon!

Art wise...it was a very good day!  Almost completed one of 4 mixed media collages I have been working on for several weeks.  When complete each piece has atleast 18+ layers of paints, gel mediums, papers, gesso, etc.  I am not one of those slap it on quickly and move on to the next piece.  Here's a snippet of one of the pieces I am working on now...6 layers and I have only just begun to build the background.

   

Remember I told you a day or so ago I had some exciting art news to share....well here is some of it.  I was told this past week of some news, but I was waiting on my official letter to arrive before I shared it here.  I have been juried to show my artwork at Glynn Art on St. Simons Island.  Several of the jurors said collage has become too crafty and they appreciated the pieces I submitted as they were original and exhibited my point of view - not crafty or just a scrapbook look.  I only told one person about submitting my 3 pieces to the gallery as I had been told, don't be disappointed if you don't get in.  They are very tough when it comes to accepting an artist and most try atleast 2 or 3 times before they are accepted, but each time you are given constructive criticism to help you grow and then reapply in six months.  Well I don't have to wait 6 months....I was accepted on my first try and I am thrilled to have GlynnArt Gallery represent me and my artwork.

And more art news that I have eluded to in a post several months ago as one of my art friends said is that I will be teaching some classes again starting soon.  I have not taught in almost 4 years, but they say it is like riding a bike, if you did it once you can do it again.  Trying to fit dates into an already hectic schedule with exhibits and art shows and other things in the works is proving to be a challenge, but I am always up for a good challenge as they make you a stronger person and if you sit back and wait on the perfect time, the opportunity may just pass you by and you won't even notice until it is too late.

Off to work on some homework for an online class I am taking...will share about it soon.

From Fay to plein air painter

A friend called this past weekend and wanted to know if we had much rain from Tropical Storm Fay. Well it depends if you call 12+ inches a lot or not. The only good thing about this photo was the rain was not going horizontal and the winds had calmed somewhat unlike it had been for days.

And since the rain was not enough to keep us home we decided to drive over to St. Simons Island for the afternoon on Friday. At the time they were reporting winds of 45-50+ with gusts 60+. Since the Sidney Lanier Bridge was closed due to the wind we took another route. The rain had let up just as we went to top this bridge. Normally you would not see all this water even at high tide.

It took a few days but we had an absolutely gorgeous day Tuesday and it was my day to volunteer at Goodyear Cottage over on Jekyll Island and this is just one of the views I enjoyed all afternoon, the Intra-coastal Waterway.  There was a light breeze blowing the old moss hanging from those gorgeous trees and the water was gently flowing.

It was a rather slow day with only 18 visitors but all of them were from out of state except one couple and they were from north Georgia.  Most of the vacationers have returned home to their normal everyday lives while the island is waiting on the snow bunnies to descend from the north for the winter. 

This month on exhibit are woodcarver, Jim Branham and oils and pastels painter, Denise Champion.  Sorry no camera allowed in the gallery even thought I did take advantage of using mine to snap a few shots through the windows.  I would have loved to have shown you the wonderful turtle box or woodpecker or the many other wonderful carving on display as well as the breathtaking paintings so elegantly framed.  You can find Denise online here.  I strolled the gallery enjoying the view inside and out for 4 hours while visiting with the cottage guests.

At the end of the day I came here to make a post, but found myself drawn to my own canvas and paints....so I took advantage of it and the post was put on hold until this morning.

Still trying to get my shop filled at the MMCA Marketplace.  I have completed several new pieces, but those pieces have been delivered to local galleries and shops.  Several of the girls keep asking when my shop will be ready and my response is when I have time.  My first priority is to the members of the marketplace, then I will take care of my own shop.  MEHC subscriptions will be hitting mailboxes soon and I hope to have my own shop filled too.  So I better sign off and get back to playing with the paints and papers!

Island Time

Wednesday was my day to volunteer as a member of the Jekyll Island Arts Association at Goodyear Cottage.  The Gallery is located in the Historic District of the island and the drive into it is gorgeous.  But the view above and below are just two of the views I enjoyed while spending my day visiting with guests in the Gallery.

Despite the seasonal thunderstorms popping up here and there the day was quiet delightful.  I met some of the most wonderful visitors to the island from all over....New York, Wisconsin, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Virginia and Canada.  We talked about the island, where they were from, the exhibit for July and the many artists and crafters represented in the Gallery Gift Shop.  They wanted to know if I too was a artist and then I got the opportunity to talk about my art and was happy to be able to show them a few pieces I have in the gallery.

Every chance I had I walked the gallery to admire the exhibits on display for the month of July.  On display are the Creator of driftwood critters, Philip "The Fish Man" Simmons of Greenville, SC and painter Bob Fisher of Brunswick, GA. 

Mr. Simmons is a former advertising executive who has combined 35+ years of graphic design skills with his love of nature and devotion of recycling to create unique driftwood creatures.  His work begins by gathering driftwood mostly from the coast of North Carolina.  After drying his finds he begins a transformation process by deciding what should be added to inspire people to see the fish, birds, whales, turtles and other creatures he sees in the piece of wood.  He attaches hammered copper, old barn tin, leather, scrap material and found objects to serve as fins, wings or other features.  The final step is to add painted glass eyes and a "critter" is born.  Most of the driftwood is left as found and not altered by carving.  He does not try to improve on Nature's designs...he gives them personalities.  Visit here to see some of the wonderful "critters".

Mr. Fisher took a watercolor class in 1997 as a result of years of enjoying his visits to Washington, DC galleries and museums during his lunch-hours.  He finds the flow of paint on wet paper to be both captivating and liberating.  His background in science, engineering and eduction has contributed to his art.  Mr. Fisher's watercolors feature brilliant linear and aerial perspective.  Visit here to see some of his work and learn more.

After a great day at the Gallery, I came home to find the seasonal afternoon showers had left signs of their presence on some of my own beauties.

This post actually was started on Thursday and when the afternoon thunderstorms moved through....I saved as a draft and forgot to come back and publish it.  So now here it is Sunday and I am finally finding time to catch up on a few things.

The rains have moved on out to sea this morning and the sun is shinning bright and beautiful.  It is going to be a great day.  It is amazing what a little "Island Time" can do for the soul....be it an art exhibit, volunteering at the gallery or walking along the oceans edge and then sitting with your feet buried in sand!