Why can't I ever just quit while I'm ahead?

So I was playing with my new paint last night.  Now I have a weird way of painting I guess.  I never have a clear cut idea of what I want to paint and what I'm painting often changes many times during the process.
This is how it usually works..I paint something...don't like how its coming out, wipe it down..look at the colors and patterns that are left and go from there...and many times I will paint, wipe down, repeat about 2x.  A waste of paint? I don't think so because I don't wipe all the paint off..i just sort of blend everything on the canvas slightly with some water and it becomes an under layer.  And usually i love the end result.

Then there are times like last night..when I get a painting that I like but keep messing with it when I should just walk away and I mess it all up...and then wipe it down angrily and try again....
Last night I had a painting that was going in a direction that I really liked, but I should have walked away let it dry and overpaint any other detail later...but I just wouldn't leave it alone.  By the time I was done I had a mess of a nasty canvas with thick muddy looking paint, and was very frustrated and just uuggg!!! lol
Used a palette knife, scraped the canvas as clean as possible.  It was like an artistic meltdown last night ...I wish I would have taken pic of the canvas last night in different stages.  Just one of those nights where the muses weren't working quite right and i just couldn't get it together..Ah well today is another day :)
So here is a cute little painting I did on a less frustrating painting session last month

me and my hubby work pretty good together:)

My husband has been a metal welder/fabricator for many years working for companies that make high end metal furniture for interior designers. My goal in life eventually is for the two of us to have our own business..Rode House Designs (yes i already have the name picked out....and the domain name purchased :)
Here is an example of when we put our minds/talents together.

My brother in law wanted a sign for outside his new home and his wife loves bears

So I painted this Rode Abode sign for them.

My husbands job was the holder....and I absolutly love it!

How cute is that bear sign holder...with the 5 bears representing my

brother in law, his wife and their 3 kids.

Me and him need to colaborate more often.  He thinks he's not "creative" because he just builds what the designers design..but I disagree...at the very least he has a very mechanical mind.

I need to harness his ability and make good use of it me thinks :)

Acrylic it is!

So I went to Blick art supply today with the intent of picking up some oil paint to play with.  However paint can be expensive and when you add in the brushes and the other additives and cleaner...I just cant afford it at this time.  So instead I decided to try a different acrylic paint.  I just bought a few colors to be sure I like the paint and if so I'll go buy more and some of the additives.  Figure why reinvent the wheel.  I like acrylic, I'm comfortable using it, I laready have the brushes for it I work well with it. 
The new paints I bought are Atelier Interactive Artist Acylic.Here's a linkto Blick...it explains them better than I can lol.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/chroma-atelier-interactive-professional-artists-acrylics/
Very excited.  Once I got home I realized I didnt buy any canvas'...luckily I have one or 2 lying around.   Though I think I may start doing more paintings on wood.  I'm used to painting on wood from making my signs and i love using the grain of the wood to help layout the paintings like in the one below.

You can see more upclose pics of this piece here

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70400204/painted-wooden-sign-art-southwestern

Other than that did some shopping at Walmart...gotta love Walmart, though the ones around here are pathetic compared to the Wally Worlds of the south and midwest :D Bought some weights for my son and an "upper and lower body cycle"  which is pretty much just the pedaling part of a bike...so i can sit my butt on the couch and pretend to excercise lol.  Figure its a start and better than nothing.  Really need to start getting into working out! Summer is almost here!

I Sold a Painting :)

I'm excited.  I sold my first painting.  I've been in business for a little over a year selling my signs, but only recently put a couple of my paintings for sale.  Cool feeling that someone liked my art enough to buy it.  I mean I've sold over 100 signs...and I feel that way about each sign I sell...but with the painting even more so.  I guess because my paintings feel like more of me...if that makes sense.

anywho here is my first painting sold.  It's an 8x10 acrylic painting.  While emailing back and forth with the buyer the painting was refered to as the "night" painting  so I decided to just make the title simply "Night"

Acrylic or Oil...that is the question!

But what's the answer?
Ok so, I've been letting myself get distracted from making signs these days as I busy myself with painting on canvas. 
(though if you are interested in a custom sign please check out my etsy shop http://www.kreationswithak.etsy.com/)

Since I use acrylic paint for my signs naturally that's what I started using when I started painting on canvas..
however I think I want to try oil.  Oil from what I can tell has richer color and you can get more texture and things like that.  But what I'm thinking is I want to try oil over acrylic...paint the base of the picture in acrylic and then add some color and depth and texture using oils.  Anyone with experience with both types of paint out there that can tell me if this will work out ok?

I'm thinking of trying it on this painting because I think maybe adding the oil paint will help me add texture and depth...but I'm scared because i really like this painting and am afraid of messing it up :D So I'm undecided as to if this is a work in progress or if it just needs to be signed. This painting is 16x20 on stretched canvas.
Any thoughts in general on oils or acrylics are greatly welcomed.

When can you consider yourself an artist?

I love to draw and paint....but I don't really understand art.  I don't follow it , I don't know any "artists".
Sometimes though I like to brows the art category on etsy.com or search the internet for different types of art...and it often gets me wondering the same thing.  At what point can one consider themselves an artist? 
And how does one figure out what the price tag on their art should be?  I was looking today at an artists website. Her paintings were very pretty. The cost for a 8x10 I think it was..$250. How does one one get themselves to the point that they can charge $250 for a 8x10 painting? Or that your work is in galleries and your doing art shows?  And when is your art not just art...but "Fine Art"?
I guess all of these things go together.  It's a matter of establishing yourself as an artist.  Creating awareness and desire for your art...but before you can even begin to try and do that there is one important step I think...and that's gaining the confidence in yourself and your work till you can actually view yourself as an artist.  I for one am at a long distance from that goal...but its a place I would love to try and steer myself towards.
I paint because I love to create.  When I'm in a bit of a rut with my signs, I'll paint to help release the muses so to speak and I like to think that I do have maybe alittle bit of raw talent. Here is my latest painting. It's my favorite so far. The size is 16 x20, acrylic paint

What I really want to do is take a couple of art classes to learn some techniques, to learn more about the different mediums and tools. It's a matter of gaining some confidence. With a little guidance and education I think I could eventually get myself to the point that I could consider myself an artist, not a "fine artist" becuase I dont know I'll reach that level..
However, taking into consideration time and money limitations some online tutorials or maybe a good book on painting techniques may be my best bet for now.  Anyone have any suggestions?

I've been driving myself crazy...

I've been wanting to start blogging for a long time...mainly because it just seems like fun and a good way to meet some new people and things like that..but I always felt like I had nothing to talk about. 
But recently I started listening to all these podcasts.  I work overnights at a fairly repetative boring job, and I get to listen to my ipod all night.  After getting sick of every song on my ipod I decided to try listening to podcasts figuring I might as well try to be productive and learn something while I'm at work.  So I downloaded some podcasts on small business marketing.  Those made me start thinking about search engine optimization and trying to figure out how to get better rankings in google searches and all that.  So I downloaded podcasts on SEO, and internet marketing..Kind of makes my head spin.  I realized that there is sooo much I don't know.  Alot of the information I feel doesnt really apply to my business, but I still get alot of good ideas and motivation from them. There is always some tip that's given or link that is mentioned or inspiring story that I get out of each one I listen to.  Plus it really helps the time go by faster at work!
After listening to many podcasts by several different people there are a few constant messages.  One of those messages is about the use of blogging as a marketing tool.  I figured since its something I've been wanting to do it would be a good thing to try...
but then, as the title of this blog post states..I started driving myself crazy!
What should I blog about? my business? my products?  other craft ideas?
Should I post my blog on blogger? on my own site? which is better for seo? does it matter?
How about my site?  should I sell on it or simply leave it as a central hub for my business with links to my etsy shop and blog and facebook?
And I began to get overwhelmed and doing nothing.  My site is a mess, I havn't been blogging at all, or making new signs or posting new items enough.  I've been in limbo and my focus has been all over the place.  So I decided to take a step back and stop stressing about all the little things so much.  I decided that I was going to start blogging just to blog and have fun.  Sure I'll talk about my business and new items I make, its an important part of my life.  As is the struggles of trying to make a successful home business, raising a family, work etc.  But my goal isnt going to be about pushing my business.  It I get some business through this then great.  But my focus is to meet some new people and have fun. 

I hope you'll follow my blog and stop by to read my ramblings.  Of course please feel free to comment:)
and check out my website: http://www.kwithak.com/