Happy New Year...

 I'm Ready!

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas To All

May the melody and spirit of the holidays fill your home with love and peace. I wish you all a beautiful Christmas ... and happy New Year too!

Thank you for following along with me this year...with much more to come in the New Year.

On My Easel...

I'm excited to get started on this project that includes two of my favorite things...

painting and labs.

Tale of Three Little Birds...

A visual story of how they came together...

WARNING...many photos!

My Shades of Red

It's Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving...oh no...I have a blog to write!

Holiday Sale

As many of you who follow me know...

I spend alot of time in my studio painting, collaging, or assembling art...

sometimes all three at once. 

I have a studio FULL of art!

I feel very blessed with what I get to do everyday for a living.

If you have someone(s) on your  shopping list who enjoys and appreciates art,

I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop through December 1st...

20% off any purchase over $50.

I'll even gift wrap it for free if you message me in your purchase.

Use link below and coupon code HOLIDAY2017 at check out.

DeniseCerroStudio.Etsy.com

Have a Wonderfully Artful Holiday Season

Layers Of Light...

Pure enjoyment...

in the art class I've been taking for the last week or so online.

Layers of Light with Laly Mille

Altered Books + A Little Paper History...

One of my favorite things to do with an old book...

is give it new life as a piece of art.

Journaling Through Art

Journaling Through Art...

I think I'm finally going to enjoy journaling!

Faux Enchaustic

 This weeks inspiration in my studio

came from my anticipation of an online class I'm starting next week from 

LalyMille

Layers Of Light

Bamboo Powder Room

Did you know bamboo is from the grass family?

 How about bamboo's tensile strength is 28,000 per square inch, while steel rates only 23,000 per square inch...

fun bamboo facts.

(my inspiration piece)

The End

The end...

to the last 8 years of being in the vintage business...

CerroHome & TeardropHankys.

Art Do Over

I have a stash in my studio of paintings from the past...
sometimes hard to let go of.

These are three of those paintings and I just
recreated them into something different.

A Do Over

Website Woes...

After coming home from a nice trip on the road...a great road trip...

I thought, 

"I have a little extra time, good time to refresh my website and 

add pieces to my Etsy shop...long overdue.

Sisters

  

Abstract / Impressionistic Florals

Painting floral impressions...

while camping in Grand Canyon National Park

Time for a change...

My Koi pond got covered up with a rug.

Traveling Art Boxes

Preparing to take my art studio on a road trip.

Thrift store frames...

Thrift store frames...into assemblage art.

Cold Wax Collage

Disclaimer:
I've just started to play with cold wax as an art medium in collage... 
I've never used it before.
These are my very first attempts with cold wax...
I'm just learning and thought you might like to join me.

Meandering along...

...in my studio
creating a few little meandering books
to pop into the many Altoids tins that are gathering there.

Gelli Printing Plate...

...my new studio BFF

Keeping A Leg Up..

Finding things to do and keeping your spirit up... 

when your body has to be down can be challenging.

Life happened...

...while I was making other plans! 

Art Camping!

Is that even a thing? If it’s not, then it should be!

I’ve been brainstorming ways that I can get more enjoyment from my restored teardrop trailer Sally. 

Sally, My Muse

It was Love at First Sight

My teardrop trailer Sally has inspired me since I first laid eyes on her. 

A lot of my creative work since then has either been because of, or about this cute little camper. 

Sally’s Story

The next leg of the journey…

My sweet Teardrop Trailer, Sally, has been living in my carport for years now. With her cute silver racing stripes and her cozy interior, she makes me smile every day. 

70-day Challenge, Part 2

Half time check-in…

Remember that 70-day Van Gogh art challenge I started back in May?

Well, I’m 38 days in, and going strong! Here’s an update on my progress.

#31 "Stick" (assemblage)

Dining Room Re-do

Hello Chalk Paint, My Old Friend…

A lot of my painting jobs involve re-inventing old furniture, and chalk paint is one of my favorite ways to do it.

Curated Home and Lifestyle commissioned me to do this furniture makeover to freshen up a dining room.

All it took was a couple coats of chalk paint to completely transform the look!

Repeat Customer

I love it when a painting client asks me back to do more for them! 
One of my faves is Rita; she's been my client since 2014. I've done several painting jobs for her vacation home on the 6th floor of a high rise across the street from La Jolla cove, with floor-to-ceiling views of the Pacific Ocean.  

Different Strokes

It’s all Relative

Occasionally a client will ask me to paint a portrait of a special family member, and they’re usually really hairy with bad breath and four-legs. Luckily, some of my best friends fit that description!

As it happens, I’m working on pet portrait commissions for two different clients right now.

My sister Pia Ledy, also a lifelong creative professional, is an accomplished oil painter too. Pet portraits are one of her specialties. 

Though we didn’t start out doing art together, she and I have each been painting for years, and we came to pet portraiture completely independently of one another. It must be in our blood. (You didn’t know there was a gene for painting dogs?)

Look how two artists with very different styles can paint the same subject matter with wildly divergent results! 

The black Lab on the left is Arrow, painted by me. 

The Lab on the right is Genny, painted by Pia. 

My style is quick and loose, with visible brush strokes. 

Her style is photo-realist, precise, and rich in detail.

The Van Gogh Challenge

70 Card Pickup, Anyone?

My Instagram and Facebook followers have had a taste of this already, but here’s the full scoop.

I’m doing an online 70 day Art Challenge hosted by mixed-media artist Kelly Hoernig.

The Barn

New Work on Display!

As you may have noticed, the past few months of hard work in the studio has resulted in a lot of new artwork! 

I’m excited to invite all of my readers, friends, and dear ones to see my assemblage art in person! 

There's No Place Like Home

After two beautiful weeks on the island of Kauai, the time has come to return home.

Are you a Multipotentialite?

Not sure? Read on!

Have you ever been told to Follow Your Bliss? 

To find your One True Calling? 

We're all supposed to, right?

If you haven't found your destiny, you’re not alone. 

There’s a reason some of us don’t fit into the mold of the specialist.

I’m on vacation, but my blog isn't!

 Aloha!

As some of my Instagram followers may have noticed, I am in Hawaii right now, soaking up the sweet tropical sun and hoping for an up-close encounter with my favorite marine life, 

sea turtles!

Not to worry, there is plenty happening on the Denise Cerro Studios blog in my absence. 

For the two weeks while I am gone, I will have a surprise guest blogger filling in! 

Market Prep

Come join me this Sunday in Historic Downtown Vista!

The Vista Vintage & Makers Market

This curated Marketplace will be devoted to offering Vendors and Shoppers a place to celebrate all things old, new, and re-imagined!  

Antique & Vintage wares will be abundant, alongside hand-crafted items from local artisans.

Photo Finish

The Big Finale!

Earlier this year, I did three large-scale projects for a remodel in Old Del Mar. 

I promised to show pictures of these works of art installed in their new home.

Here are the final pictures you’ve been waiting for! 

Making Connections

Sometimes a simple purchase turns into a greater gain. 

I bought this antique cash register drawer at the Vintage Marketplace in Rainbow CA.

 from Michiyo at LilwoodsVintage. 

Joseph Cornell

Assemblage Greats part 2

One of my other favorite assemblage artists is Joseph Cornell. 

He was one of the first artists to bring this art form into the realm of Fine Art. 
His found-object assemblages can now be seen in museums.

Who Inspires Me

Assemblage Greats: Greg Hanson

When I first got interested in assemblage, I went online to find out more.  
This led me to YouTube videos and discovering Greg Hanson, who has become my favorite assemblage/collage artist to watch.  

Greg Hanson, Patchwork Collage

Altered Book Workshop

Creative expression... by the book.

I recently had the pleasure of participating in another art workshop at the California Center For Creative Renewal. (You may remember the collage workshop I did there back in January.) 

This one was about altered books: using an entire book as the foundation for a series of page-turning collages. 

Creative Block

Some advice for getting unstuck

I love my new studio space, though am finding it very important to get out of it and hit the refresh button.

Creative Blocks

Has this ever happened to you? 
After weeks of productivity, I found that I was starting many projects, but struggling to finish them. 
And my work space got more and more cluttered with half-finished work. 
Soon, it got even harder to focus and prioritize. 

Instagram friends and support

I’m always inspired by the works I see on Instagram, and even more so chatting up other artists and getting to know them via the internet.  

I sent out a call for help to my Instagram friends for advice: 
What do you do when you are creatively stuck?

Here are some of the words of wisdom I received.

All Instagram photos used with permission.
_______________________________________________

Jennifer / @jenakkermans  

Jennifer's Advice: Get out and look at art, 

lock yourself out of your studio and put a time frame on it, 

so when you get back in you are ready to create!

_______________________________________________

Linda / @ArtByLindaB 

  

Linda's Advice: Take a long, long walk and blame the full moon for any restlessness.

_______________________________________________

Amy / @amywillcut  

Amy's Advice: Being out in nature is a great reboot.

_______________________________________________

Wokie/ @wokieclarkfraser  

Wokie's Advice: Get out and do something cultural, like a dance class or a play.

_______________________________________________

Kerry / @hereachickthereachick  

Kerry's Advice: Move on to something different, pick through boxes of forgotten things.

_______________________________________________

I sense a theme here: stop trying to force the art to happen, take a break, and get a change of scenery.

So that’s exactly what I did. I got out of my studio and out of my head. 
I went out for the day, and it was so good to get out!

A simple errand drew itself out into an entire afternoon as I began to relax and enjoy the break. 
Then, as if the universe decided to reinforce the point, this little jaunt out of the house led me to an unexpected opportunity to promote my assemblage art! 

By days end, I had rented a small display space to show my work!

There’s nothing like a new gig to get you moving!

My new display wall at Urban Barn! Soon to be filled with my original assemblage art.

This change of events fueled my creative fire to complete a few of the pieces that have been sitting in my studio unfinished, 
and to even get started on a few new pieces.

These unfinished iPhone box assemblages were sitting on my workbench for over a month. Once I got home, they were finished within the hour!

I now have a great store of advice that I can turn to the next time I find myself cluttered and unfocussed in the studio. 

5 things that are working for me right now…

Look at creative block as growth 
Consider this: "I'm not running out of ideas, just trying to push myself into better ones.”  
(Mike McQuade, Graphic Designer and Illustrator)

Don't browbeat yourself 
When you're in the necessary in-between times, that's when most creativity gets its start. 
A lot of thinking time is crucial, and it happens where you can't see it. 
(Douglas Rushkoff, Writer)

Don't be afraid to step away 
Take a break and come back to it with a clear head.

Grab some "You Time"

Working on too many projects at once can stifle your creativity. 
If you're feeling burned out, take some time to yourself and turn everything off for a couple of days. 
That’s right. Get off the dang Internet!

Get out and walk
Try a brisk walk with head phones and energetic music.
I like Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk” right now, a real mood lifter.

_______________________________________________

Do you ever get stuck in a creative rut? 
How have you found your way out? 
Do you ever ask creative friends for help? 

Share what works for you in the comments! 
We all need a little advice once in a while.

A big heartfelt Thank You to my Instagram friends who helped me out! 

I couldn’t have escaped the creative block without your expert advice!