The Big Move- part 4, Yahoo, Colorado!

I decide not to stress the old truck's transmission pulling the trailer over Raton Pass, and detour North. Turned out to be a good plan, as I later heard that Raton Pass is closed due to smoke. I take a rarely used back road to Walsenburg. Didn't see another car the whole way, so I decide to stop in the middle of the road and do some picture taking. I love this, not a soul in sight. I notice a dark cloud directly in my path. It's unnervingly ominous. I find a spot and decide to pull off the road. To my surprise, it begins to hail. Large balls of ice are bouncing off my windshield, I never expected this in June. When the storm passes, the landscape has turned to white. What a beautiful welcome. Of course I can't resist taking more pictures. Crazy tourist lady with the Florida license plates is my excuse.

I get to La Veta Pass and find it is closed, also. That's OK, it's an excuse to spend the night in a lovely state park with HOT SHOWERS Yipee! I needed that hot shower pretty badly. I pull a blond move, and discover only after I am completely undressed, that the showers require quarters. I can't be the first person to do this, so I dart to the change machine dressed only in my towel. This trip just keeps getting more fun. I feel clean and I smell clean, but best of all, I'm finally in Colorado.

The next morning, the announcement is made that the pass will temporarily be open to traffic. I thank my guardian angle, grab a quick coffee and hurry to get in line behind the escort vehicle. There are fire trucks and fire fighters everywhere. This is almost too much beefcake for a single girl to stand. Ah, Colorado, the colorful State.

Well, I made it, and I have been spending more time goofing off than working. Moved into my quaint little rental house. Been visiting old friends and making new friends, lots of hiking, sight seeing, off roading, and just generally not getting much work done at all. Then I took a side trip to Grand Junction to see Mom and Dad, when inspiration struck. An idea for a whole new series of paintings.
I am really excited about these, and I am on the third one. I call this series, "The mountains are Sleeping." My Mom wasn't sure she liked my new idea. 6 foot, life size paintings of naked ladies, didn't sound proper to her. When I sent her a picture of the first painting, she was relieved.

The Big Move - part 3

I can tell I'm in the west, when the landscape changes from farmland to grazing land. The trees are short, the green grass turns to sage brush, and the vistas become truly grand. The air changes too, I no longer need the air conditioner to fight the summer humidity. The air is drier, and clearer. The veil of humidity is gone, and I feel I can see so much further. The pets notice the change also, and are eager to sniff this new smell.

I spent the night at a rest stop almost on the Okalahoma/Texas border and awake to a surprise. I find the whole parking area filled to capacity with 18 wheelers. My big truck and trailer looks dwarfed, in amongst all those titans. I feel like I am a part of some large wagon train, bedded down for the night. With a laugh, I hurry to get my camera. Feeling an eager anticipation for the coming day, I can't wait to get back on the road.

The scenery is gorgeous and the weather is perfect. I just might make it to Colorado before night fall.

The Big Move - part 2

Driving from sun up to sun down and sleeping in my truck at rest stops, was a whole new experience. Truthfully, it wasn't that bad. I met some nice people, learned that there are a lot of women driving 18 wheelers, and found endless photographic opportunities. I found that I could steer the truck with one hand and shoot pictures with the other. The pets and the radio kept me company, and not once did I feel uneasy traveling alone.

The second day I traveled from the Florida panhandle to just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Right through the Bible Belt. Churches everywhere and not a bar to be seen. The land is covered with crops, and cat fish farms. The people are friendly and happy to chat with a stranger. Very little traffic and lots of scenery. I enjoyed the drive that day.

I spent that night at a rest stop, parked next to a nice retired couple on their way to Alaska. They were concerned about me being alone, and promised to keep an eye on me. I knew God was keeping me safe, and I slept soundly that night.

The Big Move - part 1

After many months of preparation and planning, I left Florida and moved back West. I had not been looking forward to hauling a trailer 2400 miles. The idea of driving cross country, alone with no one but myself, to get me out of a jam, intimidated me. I had never towed anything before, and my trailer was loaded to the top. But the day arrived when there was nothing left to do, but load the pets into the truck and start driving.

The scarriest part of the trip was leaving South Florida. I left at 5am and the traffic was still horrendous. I was told to keep my speed down to around 55mph, and everyone else was flying past me at the usual South Florida pace. (They made the movie "The Fast and the Furious" in Miami for a good reason.) At least Florida has nicely paved highways.

Florida did not want to let go of me that easy. I blew out a tire on my trailer and had engine trouble with my truck before I got out of that state. Thankfully, both problems were easily fixed, and I was quickly back on the road again, headed west.

New E-Commerce Website in Progress

I have been looking for an alternative to the steep eBay fees involved in having a store, and listing auctions. Many of my fellow eBay Artists will relate to this situation. What to do? Hummm...maybe my own e-commerce website.

I had no idea how much work was required to create a full-blown shopping cart website, especially if you are picky about things like I am. I checked into the ready made stores, where you just up-load your products, but I didn't like the looks of any of the less expensive ones. The expensive ones were way out of my budget. So off I went to research "e-commerce" on Google.

What I found was that I needed a database driven website. SQL is the database part and PHP is the code that manipulates the data in your database. Lovely.

Html, like I use on eBay, is simple compared to this new language. A steep learning curve is involved. After many weeks, I am starting to get the hang of it. It is a scarry thing, though. I have been dreaming about php code!

Well, my new e-commerce website is starting to look pretty good. And as of tonight, everything is working properly. But, I'm not done, every time I make a change, I hold my breath and hope I don't get the white screen with the FATAL_ERROR message. Of couse, I've learned the the Fatal _Error message is no big deal, it just means I have one too many commas or I'm missing a parenthesis. An hour of digging through code and every thing is fixed.

It's still a work in progress, but I'd be pleased if you would take a look and let me know what you think. You can't buy anything yet, as the credit card module is switched off, untill I'm done tinkering. But I have a shopping cart that remembers what you put into it, even after you leave and come back; a customer Wishlist, customers can keep multiple addresses, write product reviews, and many more niceties.

So exciting!

"The Geology Series, Turquoise 111"

For Sale
The Geology Series, Turquoise 111"

Another Hugh Turquoise Painting, using my Recycled Plastics Technique. This one is 2 panels each 24" x 30" for a total of 30" x 48". See it on my website In Art Studio.com "Turquoise 111" or email me: liana@inartstudio.com

"Lapis 102" - 30" x 48"

Back to Painting. I love the variation of blues in this one. The more I look at it the more I like it. The colors are so striking. From my "Geology Series" this painting is for sale. See it on my website In Art Studio.com "Lapis 102" or email me: liana@inartstudio.com

Painting Ponies

Here are some new polymer clay ponies I just finished painting. Will be adding them to a new painting. I will be carving some more horses in the near future. I have lots of new ideas for these little guys.

"Core Samples 101" Painting

Now this one is really different. It's the first time I have combined my Cut Canvas and Recycled Canvas techniques. I think it's pretty cool. From my "Geology Series" this painting is for sale.
"Core Samples 101" or email me: liana@inartstudio.com

Too busy to get into trouble

Between trying to finish 4 paintings a week, working on my jewely designs, and sourcing materials on the internet, not to mention the time it takes to photograph and list all this stuff; it's no wonder I don't have a social life. Oops that reminds me, I need to check my internet dating website. :)

"Turquoise & Wild Horses 101"

For Sale

A good friend was visiting and saw my Polymer Clay horses laying on the work bench. Left over from a past project, they are too large for my jewelry (except maybe a belt buckle) He suggested I put them on one of my turquoise paintings. Great Idea! Turquoise and horses, what could be better? You can view full details here: "Turquoise & Wild Horses 101" or email me:
liana@inartstudio.com

Fun with Polymer Clay

Been making polymer clay horses. I use the small ones in my jewelry designs. I carved the originals and used them to make silicon molds. Then the horses are individually hand painted. These little guys are tedious to make, but so pretty. I love making them.
Note:Polymer clay is a soft, moldable form of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) that once "cooked" becomes hard and almost indestructible. Just like PVC pipe, it can be sawn, sanded, drilled, etc. Wonderful medium for exploring creative possibilities.
See an example of my jewelry here: "Three Wild Horses" Necklace

Good News!

My Grandson, Nicholas, started pre-school last week. What a big change in the little guy's life. Instead of being a cancer patient he gets to be a normal little boy. His doctor says school will be good for him. He has enough immune system to handle the inevitable colds and flus. He still goes to the hospital twice a month, to be checked that his leukemia is still in remission. But, the rest of the time he gets to play with other children and learn. He loves school!

It's been 3 months and no one has taken me up on my Painted Artist challenge. So.... time for something new. I have been busy in my studio. Lots of new paintings finished, and sold. Some new ideas starting to take shape. I will be posting some of these soon.

And my jewelry is doing well. I listed some of my jewelry pieces in my eBay store, never thinking they would actually sell. What a surprise! My little polymer clay horses are popular. I enjoy silversmith and beading, as a way of taking a break from painting. And polymer clay is too much fun to work with. It makes you see the world in a whole new light. When I see something cool, I think "I could make that in polymer clay!"

Liana Turnbull Bennett

My name is Liana Turnbull Bennett and I am a self-representing artist. My style is
Innovative, Unexpected, Unconventional, Out of the Ordinary, Unusual, Unique…Modern, Contemporary? Well, close enough. I am excited and pleased to be able to show you my work.

My Links are:

My Website: inartstudio.com

My Art on Ebay Search for "INART" on ebay

and of course, this Blog: The Painted Artist

I hope you enjoy this Blog. And thank you for stopping by.

Artist Challenge

My name is Liana, The Innovative Artist on Ebay. Instead of anxiously watching my paintings at auction, I have decided to explore an idea for promoting artists and their artwork.

I am a Self Representing Artist with a website and an Ebay Store. I want to find a way to make the public aware of the multitude of talent to be found on the Internet. But, this needs to be fun. I want to get away from the stuffy professional Gallery Art image and explore the fun and creative side of being an artist.

I am extending this invitation to all self-representing artists. Send a single photo of your own artwork, and links to your websites. Your links can be to your website, your Ebay Store, your blog, etc. But, most importantly, send a photo of yourself - painted.
The painted part can be a hand, foot, face, etc. Have fun with this. Showcase your own personal style, as well as your personality. Is your art flamboyant, serene, playful, conservative? Let that show through. Do you specialize in landscapes, still lifes, portraits, abstracts? Here is your chance to show the world your true inner self. Just remember that you will be representing yourself as a professional artist to the public, so let's keep this tasteful.

Tonight, I will attempt to paint my face. I will be using acrylic paint, as this removes easily with soap, water, and a washcloth. I know this because I have accidentally painted myself on numerous occasions. Being a female, this should be easy. I have had a lot of practice applying makeup in the mirror. I am picking an evening when I will be home alone, hopefully without interruptions. I will attempt to take a decent self-photo and post it so everyone will get a better idea of what this blog is all about.

This is my first attempt a blogging so please excuse any mistakes.

Best Regards to All,
Liana