Dear Friends, 

This Valentine's Day, I invite you to ignore all the commercial marketing of the season and select a truly personal gift--an original painting--that expresses your genuine affection. I have started early this year creating a series of artwork which especially fits this occasion, paintings that come straight from the heart and illustrate love in its purest, most organic sense.

These paintings are created using acrylic and mixed media, and each one has a particular love story, song or sentiment which inspired it. Paintings are highly textured, containing multiple layers of handwritten love letters, parchment paper and mixed media collage. They are fully wired and painted on all sides so there is no need to frame. 

 


I am also able to create custom commission works featuring any personal handwritten notes, love letters, or lyrics to special songs that you would like to present to your loved one in a truly unique way, as long as you place your order to me by January 31. 

I have several in stock, please email me or visit my website to see more pictures.

Sizes range from 8" x 8" to 11" x 14". My hope is for these paintings to be affordable gifts, so they are priced between $95 and $195. Original 8" x 10" or 10" x 10" love-themed giclee prints are also available online here. 

For more details or to purchase, please contact me at utopiapkwyarts@yahoo.com. Thank you for looking!

The Space Between: New Painting

8" x 8" x 1.5"
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
Available for purchase via Etsy

I was playing in the studio on some small canvases, painting and printing with different colors and textures. The two human-like forms on this one emerged completely by accident. What is even more surprising is that the cross formation between these did as well. 


God leaves us spaces in which to create, and it is by this grace that I carve out the time in my day to paint and create. He manifests when we least expect, reminding us that there is something more than us. This is such a comforting sentiment as I often feel like the space between my husband and I grows vast as we both manage busy careers and life with three children. But it is in that space where there is a bond to which we can always return. 





The Space Between lyrics
Songwriters: Matthews, David J; Ballard, Glen;

You cannot quit me so quickly
Is no hope in you for me
No corner you could squeeze me
But I got all the time for you, love

The space between the tears we cry
Is the laughter keeps us coming back for more
The space between the wicked lies we tell
And hope to keep safe from the pain

But will I hold you again?

These fickle, fuddled words confuse me
Like, will it rain today?
Waste the hours with talking, talking
These twisted games we're playing

We're strange allies with warring hearts
What a wild-eyed beast you'll be
The space between the wicked lies we tell
And hope to keep safe from the pain

But will I hold you again?
Will I hold?

But the space between where you're smilin' high
Is where you'll find me if I get to go
The space between the bullets in our firefight
Is where I'll be hiding, waiting for you

The rain that falls splash in your heart
Ran like sadness down the window into your room
The space between our wicked lies
Is where we hope to keep safe from pain

Take my hand 'cause we're walking out of here
Oh, right out of here, love is all we need, dear

The space between what's wrong and right
Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you
The space between your heart and mine
Is the space we'll fill with time

New Painting, "I Was Made to Love You"

16" x 20"

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas

Available, email utopiapkwyarts@yahoo.com for details

This life in our physical bodies is precious and fleeting. I have never felt whole until I became a wife and a mother. Having my beautiful family has taught me that my reason here on Earth is for them.  I was literally created to love them.  I tell my children this every day in the hopes that one day it will sink in, and maybe one distant day they will repeat those words to their own children.

So often the questions, "Why are we here?", "What does this life mean?" float through my head when I'm meditating. One thing I have come to realize is that life is about giving, about loving, and through this giving we receive everything we need.

Let your life be about giving--give of your virtue, give of your spirit, give of your heart.

Shining on the Inside, Shining some more on the Outside

 8" x 8" x 1.5"
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas

Have been listening to a lot of Wade Morissette in yoga class (yes he's Alanis' sister).  His lyrics below really touched me deeply and inspired this little heart painting above as well as the other little hearts I have done.  So simple, pure and true.


Joy on the inside and peace on the outside
Loving on the inside and laughing on the outside
Kissing on the inside and healing on the outside
Flowing on the inside and thriving on the outside
Clearing on the inside and accepting the outside
Shining on the inside and shining on the outside

Here's a shot of this little canvas from the side. The heart pops off the canvas almost 2 inches for a fun effect.  The whole piece is ripe with texture. This painting is currently on display at The Cameron Gallery in their "Made for Love" exhibit.  My friend is actually on her way to pick me up and we are heading over there for the "Lovers' Preview" event from 3-6 p.m.  It is my hope that this piece will make someone a wonderful Valentine's Day present. Time will tell...

Gallerina on the Scene: 17th Annual El Corazon Show

Saturday night the Bath House Cultural Center was ablaze with the hustle and bustle of the opening reception of the 17th Annual El Corazon Art Exhibition. Dallas Artist Jose Vargas curated the exhibit and really hit a home run with his eclectic yet eerily cohesive mix of photography, painting, mixed media, and sculptural works. The idea of creating an opportunity for local artists to explore various artistic interpretations of the human heart was conceived by Mr. Vargas in 1993. Since then, this passionate and delightfully eclectic art show has featured diverse creations inspired by the heart (El Corazón), an important symbol in Mexican and Latin American art, and a significant theme in western culture.


This was my first time to participate in the show, and WOW, it was amazing!  The energy of the crowd, perhaps reinforced by the subject matter of the evening, was indeed palpable.

\

 Me and fellow Artist  and Designer Roy G. Vance, whose striking contemporary abstract pieces are available at Art is Art on Henderson and Dulce Interiors, among other lovely places. Find him on Facebook here!

A few photos, courtesy of Dallas Arts Salon.  This was one of my favorite pieces of the evening. I didn't catch the Artist's name, so please pass it this way if you know. 

The beautiful photography of Sharon Neal (left), and of course, my $.02 in the show, "As Within, So Without", the little painting that captured so much of my heart, mind and spirit as I used it to help me work through a difficult medical prognosis for our as-yet-unborn son. This is a true testament to the process of art as therapy. 


The show will run through the end of February, and most works are available for purchase.  The Bath House Cultural Center is located at:
521 E. Lawther Dr.
Dallas, TX 75218 
Phone number: 214-670-8749

New Painting, "I Love You as Big as the Sky"

12" x12"

Watercolor and Mixed Media on Canvas

There is nothing that makes me happier than hearing my children say these words to me.  They inspire me even more than I think I can begin to realize. I always tell my 4.5 year-old that the biggest gift God gives you when you become a mommy is that He helps your heart open and grow in ways you never thought possible and you learn to love more and more each day. I love it when paintings just flow from a happy place, and this was one of them.  

This painting will be on display at The Cameron Gallery in February at their "Made for Love" Exhibition.  Preview for this show is 2/10 and opening reception is 2/19.  The Cameron Gallery is located on Dragon Street in the Design District.

El Corazon Exhibition this Saturday

Beginning in 1993, Jose Vargas has organized the El Corazón art exhibition in Dallas, which gives artists an opportunity to explore various artistic interpretations of the human heart. Since then, this passionate and delightfully eclectic art show has featured diverse creations inspired by the heart (El Corazón), an important symbol in Mexican and Latin American art, and a significant theme in western culture.
i am so excited that the painting, "As Within, So Without" was chosen to be a part of this exhibit. This work is a very special one to me. It was created during an incredibly painful time last year as we endured a difficult pregnancy with my youngest son. He was diagnosed in utero with a rare birth defect in his lungs that left him with a very uncertain prognosis...there was a time when we were uncertain if he could even be carried to term. Doctors gave us what seemed like volumes of medical journals to read about his condition, and after reading them I wasn't sure what to do. Throwing them away just didn't feel right, nor did leaving them on my bedside table to constantly remind me what uncertain path laid before my son...it seemed like that never left my mind as it was. So I took them out to the studio, tore them up, and literally processed this information through my artwork as I collaged them into a series of paintings. In the end, we were blessed with a perfectly healthy baby boy, our little Miracle Mack.  This painting serves as testimony of art as therapy and the power of putting out the energy in the world that you wish to receive back. the fact that this show is falling almost exactly on his first b-day is almost an uncanny coincidence. 

Opening Reception is this Saturday from 7-9,  at the Bath House Cultural Center and the show will run throughout the month of February.  I am excited to be showing at this venue for the first time and feel honored to be exhibiting works among some of the area's most esteemed local talents.

New Painting: Love's Monolith #1

12" x 12" x 1.5"

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas

From Wikipedia: A monolith is a geological feature, consisting of a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are most often made of very hard and solid metamorphic or igneous rock.


This painting is the first in a series of three.  Three is a magic number for me in my paintings, one that surfaces again and again. I think it stands for my children.  The love I have inside me is massive and unchanging, much like a monolith.  I don't think there's anything that can describe the love a mother has for her children, though I try every day to put it into words for them just so they can begin to know.  I think God's biggest gift to me has been showing me the love that can grow in my heart when I became a mother and how it continues to multiply exponentially.


Will post pics of the others in this series soon.  These are available for purchase and will hang at Starbuck's in the West Village in January.

A Joyful Heart

12" x 12"
Acrylic and Mixed on Canvas
SOLD

This commissioned piece was ordered by a dear friend who wanted one more of my heart paintings to hang on her soon-to-arrive daughter's nursery wall. She is actually delivering tomorrow, so to say we were cutting it close is an understatement. She is going to add this one to a cluster of them in the nursery, and I can't wait to see how they all look together.

My original heart paintings have been quite popular since their feature on Daily Candy Dallas back in February, and I am always happy to create more.

I drew the inspiration for this one from Bob Dylan's "Forever Young". The lyrics to this song are collaged in the background under a layer of thick texture. I really can't think of a more perfect wish for a child from their parent, and I wanted this heart painting to be especially for Mrs. R's sweet baby girl.

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,

Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,

Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,

Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

I'm featured in Daily Candy!! (insert Happy Dance here)

"If art is indeed the truest form of expression, then I can think of no better way to say 'I love you'. - Unknown Artist

My Valentine's Paintings were featured in yesterday's Daily Candy Dallas "To Do" list. Thanks so much to Brandon Lynch at Artisan Style Gallery for working his magic to get my paintings written up. The exposure was wonderful and it made my day yesterday to wake up and read about myself in Daily Candy. :-) It also reminded me how lucky I am to be represented by such a wonderful gallery.

Valentine's Paintings Series

A Prayer in Spring
11" x 14"
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas

This is the latest of my custom commissioned Valentine's painting series. A client selected the poem, "A Prayer in Spring", by Robert Frost, to be collaged into the background of her painting, as it has a very special meaning to her and her husband. She even chose to handwrite the verses herself which makes the painting that much more personal, a little piece of her heart that she's offering to her husband immortalized on the canvas.

I have had great success with this series and feel so happy to have created so many commissioned pieces over the past month and a half. It's kind of like my own artsy way of playing Cupid. Several paintings from my Valentine's series are available at Artisan Style Gallery Uptown. Brandon Lynch, one of the Owners, recently informed me that they are soon going to be featured in Daily Candy Dallas. Can't wait!

"For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill." Robert Frost

Happy Words from a Collector

Love is the Answer
8" x 10" x 1.5"
SOLD

"Gina, the painting is fantastic! I love the textures in it. I will have to find the perfect spot--in our apartment in the Irish Channel! I'll have to send you a picture when the painting has a little home. Thank you so much for creating it. It's amazing how a little bit of paint on a canvas can bring so much joy. Good luck with the rest of your paintings...I love the colors in your newest pieces!"
Margaret Peters, Metairie, LA

I love hearing happy words from people who buy my art! Marg purchased one from my current Valentine's series. Many paintings and velvet giclee prints are still available through Etsy as well as at Artisan Style Gallery Uptown.

This Valentine's Day, I invite you to ignore all the commercial marketing of the season and select a truly personal gift--an original painting--that expresses your genuine affection. I have started early this year creating a series of artwork which especially fits this occasion, paintings that come straight from the heart and illustrate love in its purest, most organic sense.

These paintings are created using acrylic and mixed media, and each one has a particular love story, song or sentiment which inspired it. Paintings are highly textured, containing multiple layers of handwritten love letters, parchment paper and mixed media collage. They are fully wired and painted on all sides so there is no need to frame.

My Valentine's Series at Artisan Style Gallery!

I have had great success with this series, as the timing of my desire to paint hearts and the impending arrival of Valentine's Day could not have worked out better. The paintings make wonderful gifts, and I feel blessed to share the love I feel with so many.

Artisan Style is wonderful and eclectic space in the Uptown area by the Crescent Hotel. The gallery is situated in a lovely Victorian home dating back to the early 1900's and is filled with colorful, energetic art carefully curated by owners Brandon Lynch & Steve Iha. Their goal? To provide a twist on the traditional gallery and offer affordable artwork to everyone.
www.artisanstyle.net

For more info or to purchase one, please stop by the gallery, visit my Etsy site or email me at utopiapkwyarts@yahoo.com

Beautiful Soul

11" x 14"
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Gallery-Wrapped Canvas

"Love is the beauty of the soul." St. Augustine

This painting is one of my series of Valentine's Day-inspired abstract poppies/hearts.

This Valentine's Day, I invite you to ignore all the commercial marketing of the season and select a truly personal gift--an original painting--that expresses your genuine affection. I have started early this year creating a series of artwork which especially fits this occasion, paintings that come straight from the heart and illustrate love in its purest, most organic sense.

Paintings are highly textured, containing multiple layers of handwritten love letters, parchment paper and mixed media collage. They are fully wired and painted on all sides so there is no need to frame.

I am also able to create custom commission works featuring any personal handwritten notes, love letters, or lyrics to special songs that you would like to present to your loved one in a truly unique way, as long as you place your order to me by January 15.

I have several in stock, please email me or visit my website to see more pictures.

web.mac.com/utopiapkwy

Love is the Answer

8" x 10" x 1.5"
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Gallery-Wrapped Canvas
SOLD
Velvet giclee prints of this and all my original artworks are available.

I was working on a looser style of poppies in this painting, and I love how when my sister took a look at this she saw the poppies as hearts. My family and I were listening to one of my favorite Jack Johnson songs, "Better Together", the evening I finished this painting. My favorite line from the song is, "Love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart," which is where the title of the painting comes from. That song always reminds me of my sweet husband, who told me he really liked this new work. I think this painting is going to make a perfect Valentine for somebody.


There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard,
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart,
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things,
Like a shoebox of photographs,
With sepia tone loving,
Love is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart ,
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving,
I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together

MMM, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing,
We're better together

As Within, So Without

9" x 12"

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas

*This painting will be featured at Kettle Art Gallery's "Creepshow". It's a departure from what I've been painting lately, perhaps Halloween had a bit of an influence.

"As Within... So Without" is a magical phrase. As I deal with bouts of pregnancy-induced insomnia, my thoughts are laden with questions of the future. What will I be doing in a few months? Will my unborn son be healthy? Where is my life taking me? The more I listened to my thoughts the more questions they seemed to bring about. How does anyone achieve inner peace? What is life if we are all playing survival of the fittest with each other? As thoughts kept swirling around in my head I found myself in a place of frenetic energy. It was at that time that I realized that, as I was feeling inside, uncertain, and unsettled. I was bringing about those feelings in grander scale.

I began to repeat this phrase over and over and over until I saw what was beginning to happen. I found myself feeling warm and loved. It was as though I was being cloaked and held by the peacefulness of an angel's wings. I looked within my mind and found that I was being caressed by the lull of the words, As within.... So without...

What do these words mean? Could it be that what I think about becomes my reality? Could it mean that the way I feel inside creates the circumstances that surface without? Could it mean that the way I feel inside brings about my truth as I live it? Is this what I am living right now?

As within....... so without, has become my mantra, one that I repeat most especially when I feel overwhelmed with negative emotions. I have realized that what I am thinking and feeling within begins to show up in my physical realm. I use this phrase to guide me and it begins to allow me to be thankful for everything I am and all that I have. I know that if I am thankful, the universe will begin to give me more situations and circumstances for me to be grateful. This then creates a feeling of blissful peace within my mind.