"Living the Dream" is one of the latest paintings to come out of MADART Studios, and it's a biggy...5'x6'!!  I painted this on the only oversized canvas I now use, the incomparable Genie Canvas.  This is actually the largest single painting on canvas I've ever done, and it was a bit of a challenge, but so worth it to see the end product!  I've painted multiple canvas paintings before and done murals, but working with one single canvas this size can turn you into a contortionist in no time, hahaha, and get a work out too!!  There is just such satisfaction when working on a canvas this large and to see the blank white start to turn into something is exciting and exhilarating, I love it!!

I wanted to do a fun, tropical martini painting and mix in a little city skyline too, to create a painting that makes one dream of leaving the city and escaping to a tropical paradise, sitting back on the beach sipping cocktails and martinis from fresh coconuts...ahhhhhh....the dream.

Here are some work in progress photos to show you how it all came together.  I will soon be trying my hand at taking some time lapse videos, so it will be even more fun to see the progress, I just have to get all the logistics of that figured out first, but stay tuned!!

I'm very fortunate to have a space all to myself in my home for my studio, plus I have a completely separate room I share with my husband for an office, double lucky!  The studio space is just a small bedroom, although I'm able to pack A LOT of stuff into the space, but I had a huge 4'x8' table I was using for painting and recently added an easel my husband built for me.  The easel is for the oversized Genie Canvas paintings I've been doing, but it was extremely difficult to maneuver these huge paintings in my tiny space with the large table.  So, I decided it was time for a well needed change, and nothing like a new or redesigned studio space to get the creative juices flowing!

Luckily I have THE most handy husband on the planet, who also just happens to be a carpenter and previous home contractor, so whatever I need he can modify, built, put together, you name it!  So, I got a new table that I can fold out of the way and adjust the tilt on it to fit whatever painting I'm working on and we just cut down my old table top to 48"x36" to take up less room, and what a difference it made!

And I got the perfect little table to hold my paint palette and water cup while working, it is height adjustable and the top swivels 360 degrees with a cup holder, I got it here on Amazon.  This is perfect for painting on both the table and the easel, especially if I have the table at an angle instead of flat, I don't have to worry about brushes, paints, etc. rolling off.

Check out the slideshows below to see the changes.

When I first began my professional art career I started by painting murals.  I’ve always loved being able to create a painting on such a large surface and have often wished I could paint on larger canvases; but as an online artist I’m limited to the shipping carriers maximum size restrictions.  This has only allowed me to go up to a single 48”x24” or 30”x40” single canvas, I’ve learned to get around this by creating multiple canvas paintings of say (3)18”x24” or something similar, but it doesn’t create the same effect that one huge canvas does.  A large single canvas painting demands attention and is the show piece of any room.  

       So, when a dear, talented artist friend of mine, Patty Baker, asked if I would like to try a new, revolutionary enormous single canvas several years ago I was instantly intrigued!!  I know she understands the difficulties of shipping oversized paintings as she is also primarily an online artist.  When I received my first 4’x6’ canvas it was more than I could have imagined!  It is a collapsible, single, gallery wrapped canvas that arrived in a 6’ tube and can be shipped throughout the Continental U.S. for under $30, truly an ingenious canvas invention, the likes of which are not available anywhere but through “Genie Canvas” and their retail partners.  

"Genie Canvas" Product features

• Patent pending collapsible canvas,fully assembled in 4 minutes with no tools.
• Hinged crossmembers stretch canvas during assembly and keep it tight.
• Delivered to your door for $15 to $30. Save hundreds on shipping, both
  to, and from, your studio.
• Heavyweight 100% cotton canvas, triple Gesso primed.
• Delivered in a re-usable heavy-duty tube with reusable packaging. 
  
• Packs up in 5 minutes for safe, inexpensive delivery to YOUR customer.
• Bring your large artwork with you on vacation, school breaks or to shows.
  
• Easy fold corners
• Videos to help assemble and pack

You can also follow "Genie Canvas" on Facebook for updates, new sizes and more!! 

So keep an eye out for lot’s of “Genie Canvas” paintings coming your way as I just received my most recent order of 14 new Genie Canvases!  You can see all of my available paintings on these canvases, as wells as one's that have sold, here.  Visit them at www.geniecanvas.com  If you are an artist that has been looking for an alternative to shipping oversized single gallery wrapped canvases, look no further, this is it!

The first painting out of MADART Studios for 2014 is finished!  I wonder if perhaps it is providence that this is one of my "Mini PoP" collection paintings featuring the U.S. dollar sign and aptly titled "Be Prosperous"?  I think I will make that my word of the year "Prosper".  When we think of the word Prosper we automatically think about money, and yes, I certainly will be working towards a financially prosperous 2015, but it can also mean to grow and flourish in other areas of our lives too and to be successful at all that we do.  I will be working towards growing my art business to be more successful than last year, as well as being a healthier person in mind, body and spirit, the two things I most want to work on and grow this year, that will take work and effort, but oh so worth it!!

What do you hope to be "Prosperous" with in the new year?