Sensationl Artists Harness a Little Bit of Sunshine and Brighten the World

Many of these artists began this theme thinking that yellow would present a fairly serious challenge. What happened was that yellow somehow allowed them to open up and play in unexpected ways. The feeling that comes through in each and every work is celebration - celebration for the way yellow caused a new work to flourish, an old work to find that missing piece and all works to hum with life. These talented, inspiring artists will inspire you to take a challenge, stare it down and ultimately make something more beautiful than you ever imagined.

But don't take my word for it, please sit back, relax and bask in a little bit of sunshine that's guaranteed to brighten your entire day!



Jodi, creator of Jodi Horgan - Beaded Art to Wear, created this stunning piece.

“I purchased this beautiful cabochon from Lisa Peters (LisaPetersArt.etsy.com) awhile ago,” said Jodi. “I loved it because it reminds me of sunflowers which are my favorite. However, I find the color yellow a real challenge to incorporate into my work. However, I love purple and it complemented the yellow perfectly. The cuff is covered in purple leather and lined in lavender ultrasuede.”

http://www.jodihorgan.etsy.com/

Erica Voges, creator of Acrylic and Steel, created this unforgettable piece titled, "Remembering Spring".

“I am not sure what was so appealing about this challenge, maybe it was just a longing to paint since I have spent so much time doing other things lately,” said Erica. “I don't use bright warm colors often so it was fun to use yellow, and I love contrast so I thought using a complimentary color scheme would be a fun way to bring in the "other" and give the painting a little oomph.”

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AcrylicAndSteel
http://www.acrylicandsteel.blogspot.com/

Maureen, a talented artist, created this beautiful piece.

"AnnieMae made her first TST appearance in a Halloween costume a couple weeks ago,” said Maureen. “She's back today, with arms wide open to the light, her sturdy body warmed by the sun's embrace."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/















Althea, creator of Salvaged Expression, created this gorgeous piece.

“The yellow in this hat decided to be its own piece of flair,” said Althea. “I'm almost disappointed since this weeks piece doesn't reflect the many permutations the idea went through before it became a lightning struck hat. The hat did give me a little gift though, while making it I ended up having tons of other ideas that I hope I'll get to work up soon!”

http://www.salvagedexpression.etsy.com/
















Amanda, created this stellar 8x10 mixed media painting titled, "The Storm," soon to be offered as a print.

“Something that really helps me when I'm feeling low is to remember that even when a storm is crashing around me, the sun still shines--above the turmoil,” said Amanda. “Hang in there, and look for that light!”

http://persistentgreen.etsy.com/
http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/

Teri, creator of Giraffelabel, created this awesome LINNIE diaper clutch.

“Well, I went with something comfortable this week,” said Teri. “But, I couldn't resist this fabric for this theme...it is perfect - greys and black with that pop of yellow! I've used it before on items in my shop, but never in this shape...and I couldn't resist adding the buttons. I love it!”

http://www.giraffelabel.etsy.com/

Kris, creator of Lisianblue, created these fabulous pieces.

http://lisianblue.artfire.com/

"Nichole's Lily"
This was one of my 1st soft pastel drawings, 1996, my daughter Nichole was 12, it is her poem. This is the 1st time they have been made into 1 image. The (of) is my addition.




"Yellow" a short story about yellow.
"YELLOW"
　
Yellow?
I don’t have yellow.
I don’t wear yellow (it makes me look rather ghoulish)
Yellow??? Agh I don’t have much of yellow anything.
A few beads.
I love sunny lemony yellow kitchens ,
and yes,
I will fight you over that last piece of succulent Lemon Meringue pie.
Yellow?
Yellow?
Y e l l o w?
The color of my brilliant New Mexico sun that I eagerly drink in sitting at the bus stop on a cold winter day.
Yellow, the color of buttercups that grew beside of the house, where the bright fluttering wings of amazing Monarch butterflies danced in the fragrant nectar, my dad protected the flowers as my daughter learned a little about the grandmother she would never meet. My little one always came in with a handful of the sunny lemon cups bobbling on thin green stems. He wasn’t protecting them from her.
I loved them too.
The fairies and I played among them for so many years.
Yellow?
The color of Peace roses surrounded by pink.
Offered in a gesture of peace, an apology after a loud fight in my teens placed lovingly in her small bud vase given to her by her mother.
Yellow?
My mother’s collection of myriads of beautiful flowers that made our yard, and life a little brighter.
Oh Yeah, I have little lemony yellow squiggles.
Giggle.




"Sunbear"
Was created after frustration led to buying a new Dremel (Tues afternoon) to replace the cheaper rotary tool that made the tiny drill bits make bigger holes. Playing, drilling holes in bunches of glass, I remember the squiggles I bought months ago! NOW, I can do the squiggles. The sun, the sky, it's all about my beautiful New Mexico sky, among other ideas. Need to finish up a few butterflies, but I'm pleased with all the creations. :-)



















Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea, created this digital collage print, “Paint your own Sunshine”.

“With the dreary, crazy weather most of us have been having for weeks we might as well paint our own sunshine!” said Felicia.

www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
http://www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com/












Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry and Special Guest Rose, created this simply phenomenal pieces.

http://wovenchains.etsy.com/

“When I started this challenge, I thought yellow was going to be hard, but everything just flowed... However, I want to let my super, wonderful, talented Rose go first this week, because her sculpture of a giraffe snacking on a tree at a watering hole is so much more amazing than anything I made this week,” said Trina. “She did this entirely on her own -- I don't sculpt, and I don't work with clay!”




“My major goal for 2010 is to get more organized, One of the smaller challenges is to finish projects that I started (some of them years ago). So, for this theme, I found a yellow needle case that I had started, finished up the stitching and put it all together with some fantastic buttons and ribbon. A practical piece of sunshine to use everyday.”



“Brandie-new, I made a pendant using some sun-shiny rings with ruby beads and fresh water pearls. I'm still trying to decide if it needs beads hanging from each of the teardrop shapes. I'd love to hear what you think!”














Bird, creator of CrowTarot Tours, created these radiant pieces.

“A couple of entries saluting our Sun,” said Bird.

http://www.crowtarottours.com/ - In Progress!
Talismans by CrowTarot - http://www.crowtarot.etsy.com/
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours

Natasha, creator of Doodlestar, created these three pieces.

"I was surprised at how much fun I had with yellow," Natasha said.

This is going to be a print and a journal cover which will be in my shop today.

http://www.doodlestar.etsy.com/

I fell in love with this material and created a journal filled with fun prompts for little girls.

This is a crayon that I loved making. I think I'm going to sell this with one of my journals...doesn't it look like such fun to color with?




After viewing this bright, creative TST are you feeling the urge to challenge yourself to create something new and different??

Well, the next theme is theme is.........."Those Tropical Colors Just Made Me...". Inspired by Felicia Kramer's "I'd Rather Be in Hawaii" week and all the stellar artists she is featuring, I want to celebrate that feeling, that thought, the beauty that takes place when we think of places like Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, etc. The only requirement is that you use two colors - green and pink. You can use tons of others and any material your heart desires but those two colors need to make an appearance.