Wednesday, July 22, 2015

April Showers Bring May Flowers Top Talent

Welcome back to another Top Talent spotlight at Our Creative Corner! 

Good morning everyone. It's my absolute pleasure today to bring you some art from the winner of our 'April Showers Bring May Flowers' challenge selected by the lovely Shari: Joi from Joi @ RR.

Before I share the wonderful project that Joi has made especially for us, let's hear a little more about this hugely creative lady:

WOW... WOW... WOW...  I am seriously thinking I should pinch myself to be sure that this opportunity to be Top Talent at Our Creative Corner is real.
....pause....
Ok, I did it... OUCH... it hurt so... HERE I AM - ehehehehhe - with a project for you!!!

First let me thank Julia for being such a joy to work with - she is sooo precious.  And thanks bunches to Our Creative Corner for the chance to make this creation for your Top Talent segment.


Here is a bit about me that you may not know :)

  1. Where do you live? 
  2. In Texas, on a 700 acre, family owned ranch. I used to do all the mowing, lots of tractor work, fence fixin', cattle taggin', flower plantin', garden tendin', cookin' - you name it. Now I am older with some health challenges that keep me near the homestead but it is a beautiful place to be. 
  3. How do you spend your time when not crafting? 
  4. My favorite thing to do is look at your blogs and leave comments. I love to be an encourager. When I was young, there were few around to encourage me... so now that I am retired - it gives me great joy to be able to send some care and encouragement to my online creative family... YOU. I spend about 6 hours, at least, on the computer every day writing love notes on your blogs. The rest of the time - I paint, do some ranch bookkeeping, and then watch a few fav TV shows like America's Got Talent, Dancing With the Stars, Survivor (reality types). It is hard for me to believe I actually have time for myself now... to do the things I enjoy. I am very blessed in that regard.
  5. What if anything, do you consistently draw inspiration from?
  6. Mood Boards. Your tutorials. Challenges. And just whats in my heart.
    If you could only use three craft supplies for the rest of your life, what would they be?
    Paint, paper, mat medium. I mostly paint with my fingers so don't even need a brush! And then I would have hubby cut me wood from trees and sand some rusty metal - all here at the ranch - to paint on! 
  7. What is your favorite holiday/event to create projects for?
  8. For me it's not holidays or events... it's seasons. Wonder if you can call a season an event!!!??? It sorta is!! I love creating for the seasons. Here is what gets me excited: Winter - white, silver, blue and sparkles; Spring - pastels; Summer - bright,bright,bright; Fall - orange, browns, burgundy, teal. Fall is my favorite time of all to create because those are my fav colors. LOVE the ORANGE family! 
     5. What is the most useless item that you have purchased for your craft?I have just looked all around my studio... and I honestly cannot find one single thing that I have not used in some way. From real grizzly fur, to elk burrs, to real (but dead) ranch bugs and butterflies, various shapes and sizes of wood, metal, dozens of types of paints & inks, papers, 42 bottles of different types of mediums, markers, flowers, ribbon, fabric, gelli plate, my trusty Vagabond and Misti - it's all here... and I use it all. Wish you were here to use some of it with me. I sit here shaking my head - thinking back to how little I have had throughout my life - and realize how very very very grateful I am to be creating with so many incredible items. It's more than amazing.
Thank you so much Joi for sharing a little more about you - I'm sure many people will feel as I do and wish we could have a painty play date! Your honesty and passion for what you do is humbling.


Now let's see what Joi has made to share with you today:


I love door and the bright colors of the Mexico Mood Board for Our Creative Corner's Summer Challenge so I just had to go with that for my project. I named it: 'Pathway To Tomorrow's Bright Future'.  You can read more about it here.





This 20x24 acrylic painting was a challenge for me... I did things I have never done before - but it was so fun to create this pathway. Thanks bunches and bunches to you all for your sweet comments and ever present support.  Big Hugs. j.

Joi, this is absolutely stunning!! I love the colours and the perspective which leads the eye into your painting and makes me feel I could walk down that wonderful walkway. I adore the flowers framing the archway and  those amazing little pots which disappear into the distance are just gorgeous with all their detail and design. It's so wonderful to see that you have drawn your inspiration from our Summer Challenge moodboard too. For full details about Joi's project please go to Joi from Joi @ RR. and leave her a comment to say you've been!

Our current challenge is still open, so if you haven't yet had a play and linked up with us, you'll find all the details here: Mexico Moods. I'm sure that Joi will have given you some inspiration! Remember the rest of the team will be posting their inspiration for this challenge at the start of August so do pop back and have a look.

19 comments:

  1. What a stunning project Joi made, such hot sunny colours....fabulous. What a great life, living on a ranch and creating art...wow, that's a great way to retire! xx

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    1. You are right Jane - I am blessed. Hubby and I (43 yrs) had a very tough life so finally being at this spot is something we will never ever take for granted. So thankful. Thank you so much for your kind comment. Hugs. j.

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  2. Congratulations to Joi on the feature! It's so lovely to see her work here! Always beautiful and inspiring on every level.. This artwork is no exception. Gorgeous rich colours and design! Xx

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    1. Thanks bunches Ingrid - I am smiling - hard to believe still that I have such an honor as Top Talent. And you know how much I think of you so your comment here is truly icing on my cake today!! Hugs. j.

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  3. What a wonderful, wonderful painting, Joi!

    You really captured the Mexican mood with it and I LOVE those jars and vases! Thank you so much for being with us this month, for the lovely Q&A and for sharing your beautiful artwork with us!

    Hugs,
    Claudia x

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    1. Heheheh - I assure you there was a point when I didn't love the jars at all Claudia - eheheh!! But now I am happy I persevered! Thank you from my heart for allowing me to be here this month. Hugs. j.

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  4. Well Joi, you certainly brought joy to our corner of blog land this morning! Beautiful colours, perspective and those glorious flowers and pots - a wonderful piece of art to kick off the day. xx

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    1. No higher praise than that Julia - being able to bring a bit of joy to our corner of blog land - you have me smiling big. Thank you for all your efforts to make it possible for me - I am a happy girl today and truly grateful to you all. BIG HUGS to you sweet gal. j.

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  5. Gorgeous Joi, your perspective view is fabulous just like the color selection so suitable to our summer theme. Thank you very much for this inspiration!

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    1. Thank you Kerstin - dear me that 'perspective'... I painted those lines over soooo many times!!! Did you know that my drafting professor in college told me I needed to drop the class before I got a bad grade???? Yep and oh how I cried. So even though this is far from perfect - it does my heart good to get your sweet compliment!!! Love your summer theme - bright colors are so fun and fab. Hugs. j.

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  6. what a wonderful piece of art this is Joi !! great to know about you, an encourager is an enabler on so many levels, happy to know you !!

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    1. Thank you Suman. I am a big fan of your mixed media work. I always know when I see your name it will be GREAT! Didn't you just do a neat one about magic? Hmmm - I'm gonna go look - I think so!!! Anyway... you do wonderful art too! Hugs. j.

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  7. Thanks bunches Suman for your sweet comment. Always love seeing your artwork....hugs. j.

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  8. Joi. .that's a stunner. I can see passion in every stroke there. You have taken the mood board to a different level. So nice to know about you and I like it when you say you are an encourager. ...that is an art in itself. Big hugs my friend.

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  9. Ahh - such a kind comment Rupa. I so wanted to make something worthy of Our Creative Corner's inspirations. Thank you so much. Hugs back... j.

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  10. YAY JOI!! So good to see you here as our Top Talent Guest!! You blew me away with your 'April Showers Bring May Flowers' art journal pages, and now you're blowing me away again with your GORGEOUS canvas!! Just a stunning painting--I could stroll through this beautifully painted walkway and get lost for hours!! Thank You soooo much for being here at Our Creative Corner!! XOXO-Shari

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    1. Basking in your comment to me Shari... you made my day. Just icing on the cake - I am still not believing I was Top Talent (smiling again). I love thinking of you strolling down the walkway in the painting - heheheeh!! Watch out for the pots though!!! Many thanks for your encouragement and love... j.

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  11. Joy! This is absolutely outstanding my dear!! What a gorgeous piece of art! And I sooo loved reading about you and you, are a priceless gift to all of us! Thank you! xo

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  12. Joi, it is fabulous to see your lovely artwork featured here, and is no wonder you are OCC's TOP talent!!! What a site for sore eyes this painting is! You are one very talented artist, and your sense of color and perspective is so obvious in this brilliant piece of art! It was great to learn a bit more about you, and one thing I find so interesting is your life as it is now as it compares to your earlier years. I love the positive transformation. It sounds like you took lemons and made the sweetest blend of lemonade. You are truly a JOY, Joi! Hugs!

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