Hey! It's Solve it Sunday and I thought I'd give you a bit of a challenge by using a picture that doesn't have an identifiable image. If using an abstract piece weren't enough to make it interesting, I've also selected a Tetris style cut. Don't worry though, if it has you tearing your hair out, you can reselect your own cut and difficulty level. Don't forget to come back and post your time in the comments!

Jammies, Quality Time and Pizza on Simply Saturday

Today was a great day for lots of reasons. I woke up feeling refreshed, the sun was out and there was nothing that absolutely had to be done. I've been working super hard on a project that I'm both excited and passionate about, but I needed some time to recharge. I decided today would be a lazy day, so I spent it in my jammies, watching TV with my hubby, reading and chatting with my sisters. I even took a nap!...me, a person who finds it hard to shut down...a nap!

Lazy days and pizza go together like Simon & Garfunkel or movie theatres and popcorn, so of course for dinner, we ordered from our favorite place. Pepperoni on my hubby's half and black olives on mine. I didn't think to take a before picture, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was amazing! The crust from my hubby's pizza is all that's left.

What toppings do you like on your pizza? Eat the crust or leave it behind?

Abstract Nude Painting for Fresh off the Easel Friday

Several years ago, my sister and I visited Venice. With its spectacular architecture, gorgeous bridges, warm people and of course, the view from the Grand Canal, I couldn't help but adore the city. Over the years I've often joked that it's such a romantic place that I was nearly tempted to hold my sister's hand! It's a magical city and I have never been anywhere else in the world that I have loved more.

One of my favorite places in Venice is the Guggenheim museum. I spent hours there, exploring Peggy Guggenheim's home and completely lost track of time standing in front of Modigliani's portrait of Frank Haviland. I have always appreciated Modigliani's work, but only fully grasped the true depth of texture and color by seeing it in person. Peggy was the former wife of painter, Max Ernst, and entertained many now famous artists in her home. When I sat on her original white leather sofa and imagined all the artists who might have sat in the very same spot, I cried.

I returned from Venice feeling inspired by its history, grace and charm. I began to paint curvy abstract nudes, influenced by the gentle flow of the canal, the arched bridges and quite frankly...the ridiculously beautiful women Venice seems to be filled with! It only seemed fitting that the women in this collection be graced with Italian names as a reflection of my experience there. This piece, tentatively called Ilaria, has been sitting in a box in my studio, half finished for I don't know how long. It's the only piece in the collection I used collage on, which might be the reason I got stuck and wasn't sure what direction I wanted to take her next. With fresh eyes, I began working on her again and as it turns out, she was nearly done when I packed her away. I only added another layer over the collage, making it a little more subtle.

What do you think? Do you like the name Ilaria or do you have a different suggestion? Is she perfect just the way she is or would you like to see me make the collage a bit more subtle?

Artists Helping Artists on Thumbs Up Thursday

A few months ago I discovered the podcast, "Artists Helping Artists" on Blog Talk Radio. The show, hosted by artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry, manages to be entertaining and down to earth, while providing incredibly useful information. Each week, Leslie and Dreama, along with some fantastic guests, tackle subjects crucial to any artist striving to make a living with his or her passion. If you need to know anything, from how to get into galleries...to making the best of social media...to building a popular blog, you'll probably find a podcast about it. If you don't, you can always visit the Artists Helping Artists blog and make show suggestions. I'm seriously addicted and definitely give it a big thumbs up!

Listen to internet radio with Leslie Saeta on Blog Talk Radio

So now that you know what I'm excited about today, what gets your thumbs up? Doesn't matter what it is...could be the musical your kid was just in, the fact that your car started in the cold or a new business venture. I'd love to hear!

Starting Fresh with a New Plan and a Time Lapse Painting

It's been a long time since I blogged. Though my blog had a consistent format, I made a few mistakes when planning how to execute it for the long term. There was a theme of the day, 7 days per week, which should have been easy peasy to maintain, right? Afterall, once you know what you're writing about, the rest falls into place. Sure!...except when something unexpected happens. All it took was a bout of pneumonia to knock me off track. It was easy to think, "It's only one day, nobody will miss it for one day." But then another day passes...and another...until finally, it's been months since a new blog post appeared. I just didn't know how to get started again. I finally decided I just have to dive back in.

So yes, I'm back, but with a better plan. First off, I'm going to create blog posts in advance and schedule them to post automatically. That way, if something unexpected happens, I'm not letting myself, and more importantly, my readers down. Second, I'm going to re-evaluate my format. Do I really need 7 posts per week? Should I keep my current daily themes, but alternate them with 4 one week and 3 the next? Should I change the subjects I'm writing about altogether? I'm not sure yet, but I think that's OK. Every plan needs to evolve and adapt, so I'm just going to roll with it.

So without further ado, here's my first Work in Progress Wednesday post in ages! The video below is a time lapse painting of my Packer Fan series. This is Part 1 of 5, but you can find the other 4 parts by following the link to my Facebook page. I'd love to know what other types of videos you like to watch. What would you like me to make and post next?