Debbie Overton Designs

Nurturing brings you earned Blooms

Where did summer go?  Is it really already September?  This summer was just a blur for me with so much going on, but the health problems I dealt with most of the summer are beginning to show signs of improvement.  De-stressing is easier said than done, but I am so happy to say I have let go of things that were sucking energy of me and replaced them with things I enjoy.  I have made it over to the beach atleast 3 or 4 days a week for the past month.  Spent some time on the road with Steve a few weeks ago and didn't even carry my laptop!  He has a few trips scheduled in the coming weeks and I am thinking I may just have to see what those trips have in store for me.  And our week at Myrtle Beach will be here before I know it or atleast I hope it is!

I have worked on some art projects for upcoming exhibits, delivered two mixed media works to St. Simons Glynn Art Juried Show to be on display until the end of the month.  Been playing with some new techniques and new mediums.  I made a list of projects and then broke those projects down into tasks.  It is amazing how quickly things go when you have a plan.  Yes, I went back to my tried and tested and works business knowledge.  The Student Artist program through the marketplace is coming together and hopefully will be  in full force very soon.  Changes are in the works for the Marketplace itself and I am working on some major updates to my website.  Funny how your own personal sites and obligations get put on the back burner while you take care of everyone else. 

Someone said to me this past week "one of the things that I admire about you is you are a leader and not a follower!  You always put others needs before yourself."   To me that was a great compliment and one that I have always been told and don't take lightly.  I was taught, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Well we all know sometimes you don't get back what you give, but that's okay as I am a true believer in payback.  You get what you deserve sooner or later, good or bad.

Today I hope I continue to receive a few more of those gorgeous red Gerber Daisies.  Each morning I look out my window as I work on the computer to see how many survived the night.

Creatively,

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.

Believe

A little snippet from one of the pieces I recently finished.  Whether you Believe or not Christmas is just around the corner and you better be ready naughty or nice! 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my parents flying in and our college kids + girlfriends and boyfriends filling our home for 7 days.  We spent time together over on the islands shopping, walking the beach, eating at our favorite places, cooking some of our family favorites, watching holiday movies and just having a good time with those that we love.  Everyone is now back at home or their college apartments and I am trying to catch up on things.

Orders need to be filled, commissions are in the final stages, updates to MMCA and the Marketplace need to be made, newsletters are ready to go out when the time is right, finishing up the news media blast outs, and a few emails and social networking to catch up on and I can start all over again.  Marketing yourself is a never ending job as those of you that beat the bushes day in and day out know!

Believe and it can be done!

Road Trip

For those that can't find the time for a little road trip....here are a few of my favorite photos from last Saturday's road trip along the  east coast from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine Beach.

Fernandina Beach....One of those great little beach houses had a "For Sale" sign in front and I told Steve I could see me there....He just laughed and kept driving!  Imagine That!  Looking at the boardwalk it looks as though the beach is way out there when it is probably only 300 feet or so.  I would love to walk out my door, down a boardwalk and step on the beach everyday.  Some day I keep telling myself this too will happen.  Everything happens for a reason and this is not my time!

  

 

  St. Johns River Ferry....I love riding the ferry over the St. Johns river.  It docks at Fort Goerge Island and runs across to Mayport Village.  It is a short ride, but always fun.

  A1A runs along the Atlantic Ocean.  Your windshield will actually cover with the mist blowing in.  There are some gorgeous homes along this route.  You step out the front door and you are on the highway, but step out the back and you are on the beach!

 

St. Augustine Beach Weddings.....One in the downtown historic district and the other on the beach. 

We watched from the pier as this one was taking place just as the sun was starting to set.

   More photos at St. Augustine Beach and in the Historic downtown area including one of a couple having engagement photos made.  It was fun to watch them as they kicked off their shoes, rolled up the jeans and danced and played in the waters edge in their crisp white shirts.  The best one was when he picked her up and swirled her around and around.  You could here them laughing and enjoying the moment.

 

Here we are crossing the Historic Lion Bridge in St. Augustine as we are leaving. 

Another bridge, can't remember which one it is coming into St. Augustine.  

 

I have seen this little "bead" sign many times but not being a jewelry artist I have never really had the desire to venture in even though it is right next door to one of the other shops I visit each time we are down.  But I decided to go in today....OVERWHELMING is just one word to describe it and you bead girls know what I am talking about.  There were beads everywhere, rows, shelves, boxes, bowls, hanging....each one calling out touch me!  I will share more about the bead store another day.

 

Flying creatures everywhere but this one was sitting there as if he wanted his photo taken.  He would turn his head back and forth as you snapped the camera and never moved as I got closer and closer.  I do believe he was enjoying his moment in the spotlight.

Then as the sun was setting we decided to call it a day and head back north toward home.  

 

 

It was a wonderful day on the road, a few great stops here and there, tons on photos to remember the day, and lots of heartfelt conversing between us.  Everyone needs a little road trip to remember it is the little things in life that mean so much.

We are headed down to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island Saturday for some fun, shopping, strolling and visiting with an art friend + to check out the building up of the beach.  Here they are working on it last week.  It was fun and interesting to see how they do it.

   

Hope you enjoyed your little road trip.  Have a great weekend and I will see you next week.

 

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.

The Sky tells it ALL

We were headed over to St. Simons Island Thursday evening to celebrate some news I had gotten earlier when all of a sudden I grabbed my camera and Steve hit the brakes going approximately 70-75 as I snapped photos through the front windshield of this almost magical view.  He is finally catching on if the camera comes out be ready to slow down, pull over, stop or turnaround sometimes!  The glow of the sun was setting in the west behind us, the rainbow with the moon rising in the east in its pathway, clouds forming to the north, and even darker thunderstorms looming to the south and bright blue Sky in between.

September 11th has always been a date that is filled with memories for me, some good, some bittersweet, some of not knowing what would come next and then what we all know now as 9/11....this photo captured all of it for me!

Lots of exciting news to share soon!

Weekend Finds

My little road trip had me laboring over antiques and vintage finds that I couldn't resist!  Here's just a few things I picked up....Children's World Books with some great images, another dictionary as you can't have too many of these to use, old keys, labels, a couple Victorian calling cards in mint condition, a few bits and bobs of sewing items, an old tote, vintage paper shelf trim, a glass vase which I filled with a few ribbons I came across plus some I already had once I was home, 3 cabinet cards and I swear the middle one looks just like Al Gore and a 1899 ledger book filled with page after page of wonderful penmanship.   

To me my best find this trip was the three race cars made of cast iron to add to my antique toy collection.  They roll great on my hardwood floors and make great marks on white baseboards!  Seth tested one out and I heard OOPS and the car being set back on the table! One thing for sure is they don't make toys like this any more.

Found time to enjoy the beach some too and eat at one of our favorite places on St. Simons Island....Brogen's at the Pier in the Village!  They serve good ol' southern food with a wonderful view.

Finally got the yard cleaned up and the flowers that were up-rooted from Fay replanted and now we are waiting on Hanna to decide what she is going to do.

As for the art....lots of great things going on....some new....some with a new twist....some old....but all have to wait until another time to be shared.

   

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!

The Flag of the Free

Postcard is from my personal collection with a postmark of July 1920. 

We have plans to head over to Jekyll Island to celebrate the 4th, and watch the fireworks with friends and family on the beach.  Wishing each of you a fun and safe holiday weekend.