Ann Bell’s Blog www.annbell.net/blog

I Dream of Venice, mixed media painting by Ann Bell, on new Pastel Surface board by Richeson. It’s so much fun to paint on! Thanks, Vikki, for introducing me to it.

If you want to try this fun painting surface, they are available at Art Supply on Main, in Midtown Houston–on sale for 50% off, only $8.50 for 11″ x 14″ board.

This painting is predominantly acrylic, 11 x 14. I painted it at my Saturday demo for Art Supply Expo.

Vikki also has a huge selection of stretched canvas at buy 1, get 1 free.

Golden City, shown below, is the first painting I did on this new surface. It is predominantly watercolor, with acrylic, acrylic ink, and Inktense colored pencil details.

If you would like to see these paintings, Vikki will have them in the store by Wednesday.

If you would like to see my current schedule of classes, visit http://www.annbell.net/classes.htm This month they are all planned between March 13 and March 20, to fit teacher’s schedules. Spring Break!

Ann Bell 

I’m excited about my newest mixed media painting.

I call it “Dreaming.” I captured this big idea in a small 8″ x 10″ canvas.

This is the second in a series of paintings developing inspiring concepts.

I have decided to dedicate more time to dreaming.

Every night recently my sleep has been visited by rich images from unknown sources. I wonder what it means!

Ann Bell

I love painting with mixed media. It feels like there are no limits. Any effect is possible. “Love Soaring High,” one of my newest paintings, uses techniques I teach in my Visual Magic with Mixed Media class

Learn how to make your own textured painting. Attend either the Mixed Media Class or the 3D Texture class. Easy registration through Paypal on the class page, or call me at 281-330-3827 to reserve your space.

Stimulate your creativity, regardless of your level of art experience. I’ll make it really easy if you are a beginner. My studio is near downtown Houston, so whether you are in outlying areas such as Kingwood, Conroe, Humble, Spring or Sugar Land, or even beyond, I am accessible. If you are in Montrose, River Oaks, Memorial, West University, Bellaire, or the Medical Center, I am close to you.

All supplies are included in the class fee. You’ll enjoy the day painting in my glorious creative studio. You’ll learn new techniques. AND you’ll leave with a beautiful piece of original art that YOU created.

You will enjoy the art for years. You’ll make more art with the techniques you learn.

You will amaze your family and friends.

Perhaps you’ll make a priceless valentine for someone you love.

If this message speaks to your heart, treat yourself to a creative day painting and learning with me. These classes offer an opportunity to experience making art in a real working art studio. Small space with limited class sizes guarantees that you receive my personal attention. What could be better than this?

Ann Bell

Each human being is creative. Young or old, rich or poor, educated or not! Each of us has hidden within us the capacity to be creative, whether or not we realize that it is there. Some people think that only artists, musicians and writers are creative. Others are willing to include people who do handwork or crafts.

You are creative, even if you don’t realize it! If you don’t consider yourself creative, it might be that you do not recognize your creativity and give yourself credit for it. Creativity displays itself when you find new ways of doing routine tasks or when you find a way to do something you haven’t done before.

All progress is the result of human creativity. Each technological, scientific and medical breakthrough happened because highly trained professionals creatively applied their knowledge in a new way. Creativity is responsible for every new product, however simple or complex.

I don’t want to oversimplify here. For progress, much more than an idea is necessary. But the idea is the seed from which it all grows. Without the ideas, there could be no progress.

Most people are so busy doing routine tasks that they don’t allow themselves the luxury of quiet time. Stress builds until they become ill. I suggest that taking some quiet time in your day to renew yourself and nourish your creativity might actually save you time in the long run. Two immediate ways this could happen occur to me: you might discover better, quicker and/or more effective ways to do your tasks and you might save the downtime caused by illness through preventing the illness.

Creativity flourishes when the mind is able to enjoy unstructured time—or play time.

If you would like to be more creative, the first step is simply deciding that you want to become more creative. Your intention becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when you simply take the second step of allowing a small amount of “unbusy” time into your life. Your intention alerts your creative right brain that you want to be creative. So, as you make space in your time, your right brain notices whenever an idea crosses your conscious, and it alerts you to the idea.

Unfortunately, if you continue your super-busy schedule and don’t provide some quiet time for your brain, nothing will happen.

Creativity flourishes when the mind is able to enjoy unstructured time—or play time. I suggest these 3 easy ways for you to open the doors to your creativity.

1. Sit quietly for a few minutes and breathe deeply. If you can play relaxing instrumental music or arrange silence, you will get the best results. Voices distract from the relaxing ambience. Quiet is the key word.
2. Take a walk. The act of walking combined with observation of nature seems to attract ideas and promote the peaceful state necessary for those ideas to show themselves.
3. Take a leisurely shower. The rhythm of the falling water seems to lure ideas to the surface.

Pick one of these suggestions and follow it. When you are finished, write down the ideas that come to you in the next hour. Then make your own list of things you “don’t have time for” that might actually save you more time than they take with the ideas they generate.

For more creativity tips, consider.

Ann Bell

 
I’m tired of mass produced stuff.

I realize many esthetic and emotional benefits by surrounding myself with handmade items to bring joy, beauty & even functionality into my life.

When I use a handmade object, or view a painting,
I am reminded again of the wonder of human creativity.
You too  will get joy from handmade things, even if you aren’t an artist.

If you want to take the pledge, just click on the pledge banner.
A new window will open. After you take the pledge & close the window, this blog will still be here.

I listed new paintings in my etsy store.

I hope you have enjoyed the holidays. I certainly did.

And I have been busy planning new classes. Many of my students have asked me for a Composition class. I am working on it now. It will be on Saturday, January 23. I will be adding it, and other classes for January to my class schedule  during the next few days.

Last year in January I taught a Vision Board Class.
I have been working on my own Vision Board for 2010 & beyond.
(Most of my 2009 Vision Board is now reality!
They just seem to work that way.)

I haven’t decided whether to teach the class again.
If you want to take a Vision Board Class from me, please get in touch.

Ann Bell

If YOU want a creative break before the new year begins,
consider Visual Magic with Mixed Media on Tuesday, Dec. 29

or learn how to make your own Hand-Carved Block on Wednesday.

Have you been delaying your dreams of making art? Perhaps this quiet time for most businesses and offices can allow you to slip away unnoticed and indulge your own creative urge.

Perhaps the best holiday gift you could receive is time for yourself…time to make art.

You are the only one who can give yourself this gift.

If you are not ready for a class, perhaps a private lesson is what your heart wants.
http://annbell.net/PrivateLessons.htm

My class page is always available. You can bookmark it or add it to your favorites.
http://annbell.net/classes.htm 
I’ll be adding new classes for January in a few days.

Ann Bell

Creativity is an essential human force. We are all creative and have a desire to express our creativity.

The desire is stronger in some people than in others. Some people have always secretly wished they could paint. Perhaps lack of time, lack of money, or simply not knowing where or how to begin have prevented their attempting to learn to paint.

If someone you love has expressed a wish to be able to paint, a gift certificate for private lessons can open the possibility for dream fulfillment.

I offer private lessons in my studio in Midtown Houston. Even someone who has never painted can learn to paint well enough to have years of pleasure painting. Only a few lessons are required. No one is too old to learn, if the desire is there. 

I receive requests from all parts of the country to help someone in the Houston area learn to paint. A gift certificate can be arranged, so that you have something tangible to wrap and give. The delighted recipient can schedule the private lessons with me after the holidays.

Sometimes a loved one who lives elsewhere is coming to visit in the Houston area for a week or two. Several lessons can be arranged during the visit.

Are you searching for the perfect gift for someone who wishes they could paint? A gift certificate for private painting lessons might be the perfect solution.

Learn more about private lessons and my teaching philosophy

And more

I am an accomplished artist with many years of painting experience.
Some of my students have never painted before.
Some of them have earned a degree in art.
I meet each person on her (or his) own level.

You can see my watercolor paintings 

and my acrylic/mixed media paintings

Would you like to make a dream come true for someone special in your life?

email me or call me at 281-330-3827 to arrange for a gift certificate.

Ann Bell

Creativity improves your ability to solve problems. Creative thinking and creative play actually forms new neural pathways in your brain, between the right creative brain and the left logical brain. It makes your brain function better as a unified whole brain.

But creative play, and specifically making art—even if you are not an artist—provides other benefits as well.

1. Relief from stress
2. Increased powers of observation
3. increased creativity
4. Better problem solving skill
5. Increased confidence because you did something you had thought you couldn’t do.
6. FUN!

Those are some powerful reasons to increase your creativity.

My new audio CD presents 101 easy yet effective ways to increase creativity. The image on the front is Unrestrained Joy, one of my newest mixed-media paintings, on the label. If you want to re-discover your own creativity, or encourage someone close to you, this CD just might be the perfect way.

My name is Ann Bell. I have been an artist most of my life. Some of my earliest memories revolve around art & creativity. In fact, I took creativity so much for granted that I didn’t realize how important it is until recently. 

 Find out more

I believe in using art supplies in the most innovative, planet friendly ways possible.

Collage recycles interesting & sometimes otherwise unusable objects. I use old papers & vintage books, maps, photos, sheet music, beads, doilies, fabrics, metal and almost anything you can imagine. I provide a wide variety of materials to my students, expanding their imaginations to repurpose items in their own art. We have so much fun!

Everything is possible, for inspiration or (more…)

Painted paper class in my studio yesterday was so much fun. Tomorrow we will use the painted papers and MORE in Creative Collage, a separate one-day class. I love teaching one-day classes in my studio. Each artist/student can choose (more…)