Happy Summer

I love summer, beaches, warmth, and painting mandalas.  The best way to celebrate summer is to add some designs to beautiful rocks.  These rocks were found in Minnesota at Wacouta beach, Lake Pepin and the North Shore on Lake Superior.  Each one is painted with someone special in mind. Here is a bit of summer happiness sent to you.  

Jackie Frost Visits

Brrrrrrr... it's cold outside in Minnesota! I awoke to -14ºF with -40ºF windchill.   I'm not a winter person, at all, but it was fun to see all the beautiful drawings Jackie drew on the windows.

 I am taking a "Joynal" class with Jane Davenport, 

and in this week's class we are drawing naughty Pixies.

 Jack Frost's twin sister, Jackie, has arrived and is trying to steal his favorite windows to draw on.

Jack loves drawing on our windows because our house is around 150 years old with gorgeous  large windows adorned with stained glass.

The next time you look out a wintery window, you may want to ask "Is this masterpiece created by Jack, or his naughty twin sister Jackie?"  

This journal page was created in an old book covered with gesso, serviettes, doodles in ink, acrylic paint and colored pencils.  

Flower Faeries

Happy New Year!

I have been having fun drawing and painting some Flower Faeries.  These are all created in an altered book using gesso, serviettes (napkins), acrylic paints, Distress stains, colored pencils and ink.  It is so fun playing with serviettes as the background.  They create a fun theme of their own.  Everywhere I go I'm on the lookout for a great napkin- not for dinner time, but for another piece of art. 

These are faeries from my garden, although they are inside now since it is so cold out.  They love to be by all the beautiful flowers, colors, bugs and nature's gifts.

These paintings are bright, colorful and happy to remind me of the warm summer days ahead.  

This faery is overlooking one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes after a winter storm.  She is watching some skaters far off into the distance.  

For those of you who are experiencing cold winter weather, bring some color and a faery into your life.  It will make your days feel brighter.  Those in warm climates- enjoy all the magic outside in your gardens and with your plants!  

I Love Aprons & Almond Sesame Bread Recipe

Hi Everyone, here is a peek into one of my favorite kitchen accessories- Aprons.  I love aprons- New ones, Vintage ones, Ruffly ones, Simple ones and all the ones my Brother and Sister-in-Law give me and my Mom makes for me.  There is a Senior Center in the building that I work in and I recently found these wonderful Vintage aprons for sale that I couldn't resist adding to my collection.  I couldn't pass up the blue polka dots apron and the red one with white ruffles.  

The person who helped me with my purchase said she was afraid no-one would buy them because it is a lost kitchen art form.  I helped her see that aprons can still make someone’s day and are an important part of the cooking process.  I have to be careful each day to take off my apron before I see clients.  I’m sure one day I’ll walk out of the house with one of my fun ones on. 

I thought this would be a perfect time to blog on this since I am also learning how to draw ladies.  I am stepping out of my box this year and trying new art techniques. I couldn't resist doing some ladies walking down the catwalk modeling these fun aprons. 

Today as I woke up to 18°F on a cold winter day, I decided someone needs to make fleece lined aprons for the long winters.  That would make me a very happy cook.

This is one of my favorite gluten free & fructose friendly breads for the "When Artists Cook Series".  It has great flavor, and if you slice and freeze it right away, it doesn't get too crumbly.  It makes a smaller loaf, so you’ll need to help yourself to more pieces.  I love eating it with garlic salt and creamy goat cheese with scrambled eggs for breakfast.  My favorite sandwich is bacon, butter lettuce and mayo on this tasty bread.  It is very simple to make.

Gluten Free Almond Sesame Bread

Ingredients

1 ½ cup blanched almond (I love Bob’s Red Mill or California Almond flour)

¾ cup tapioca starch

1/8 cup sesame seeds

½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. glucose syrup

1 tsp. white vinegar

Directions

*     Combine almond flour, tapioca, sesame seeds, salt and baking soda. 

*     In another bowl, blend eggs for several minutes, until frothy.  Stir in olive oil, glucose syrup and vinegar into the eggs. 

*     Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

*     Pour batter into a well-greased 7 ½” x 3 ½” loaf pan. Add a piece of parchment to the bottom of the pan so it comes out smoothly.

*     Bake 350° for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

*     Let cool.

*     Slice and freeze within a day to keep it nice and friendly.

Enjoy!

Autumn Faery

Hi Everyone, Happy Holidays!

My hand decided to have a major arthritis flare, so I had to take a few weeks off from painting, drawing, etc. I didn't realize how hard it would be to go without creating art for so long.  I was hoping I would have had this done to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but I just finished it this weekend.  Instead I wish everyone a really nice week!

The faeries had fun preparing the gardens for winter, but I believe they are all tucked inside now to stay warm and to play in the houseplants. 

In the art class I am taking, Joynal, we are learning to use Serviettes for backgrounds.  I feel pretty cool getting used to the word “serviette”, since here in Minnesota we have napkins.  But thanks to my teacher in Australia, I get a new flair of words while learning to paint ladies, fashionistas, faeries, and more.  

The background is a serviette that we had for our Thanksgiving dinner and a bit of acrylic paint to blend it all together.  It makes a great background for my garden faery.  

Angel of Goodness & Love

(c) 2012 Colleayn T. Klaibourne

I love Angels!  My goal this year was to get back into drawing & painting.  I think my Angels were very helpful in creating the space, time and motivation to create Art again.  With some life changes and some tweeking of my work, daily schedule, and studio arrangement, I found a way to do so.  Little did I know that I would be led to start drawing them.  I see Angels all around people when I do my healing work. I wish I could take a photo of them so my clients could see them as well.  I am learning how to draw faces so I can draw what I see in my intuitive minds eye.  My Angels are listening but instead of having a photograph magically appear, they are steering me to learn how to paint them myself. I am still in the learning process of this exciting adventure.  I can't wait to see what appears next.  

This is an Angel of Goodness and Love.  She is created with Acrylic Paints, Colored pencils, Markers and Pens.  We all have Angels around us, and she is here to remind us that we are surrounded by LOVE and at any time something GOOD can happen.  

Mandala to Energize the Mind

(c) 2012  Colleayn T. Klaibourne

This Mandala was created by painting Silks Acrylics and gel pens on Black Gessoed paper.  This one has a lot of shine and is energizing to the mind.  

Mandala Magic

 (C) 2012, Colleayn T. Klaibourne

 (C) 2012, Colleayn T. Klaibourne

  (C) 2012, Colleayn T. Klaibourne

Here is it completed with designs added to the Mandala.

 (C) 2012, Colleayn T. Klaibourne

One stencil creating 2 completely different looks.  

I really enjoy using heavy gel medium in my art.  I have been making some stencils to use with gel medium to get more dimension in my art. Each was created using acrylic paint, Silks, and stencils. 

 (C) 2012, Colleayn T. Klaibourne

This Mandala was created using Twinkling H2O paint and a gold gel pen.  I love how the mica shines so bright on the black paper.  

Art Boutique Sale

Come join me at the Holiday Art Boutique, Bake Sale, and More.

I will have a booth featuring New Jewelry Designs- Swarovski Crystal Necklaces, bracelets, earrings...., Greeting Cards, Hand Carved Rubber Stamps (The above photo is a sample of about 200 stamps carved), Qigong Gift Certificates, and more.
Love
When:
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
9:00 – 3:00
Love

Where:
Fairview Professional & Community Center (The old Fairview Hospital)
Cafeteria
1407 W. 4th St.
Red Wing, MN 55066

Love

Annual Boutique Featuring:

Fine Art

Jewelry

Greeting Cards

Baked Goods

Kitchen & Household Goodies

& More!

Living with Celiac Disease & Fructose Intolerance

"Faery Dance" (c)2003

Acrylic on Panel, 12"x16"

(c) All Rights Reserved

I decided to write down a bit of my life story because I get a lot of questions from people going through similar experiences wondering what I eat, how I was diagnosed, etc. In 2003 I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (No gluten- wheat, barley, rye & oats) after living a life of digestive distress. Then in 2006 I was diagnosed with fructose intolerance (no fruit across the board, and very limited veggies in my diet). Even though my diet is very restricted, I am the healthiest I have ever been and feel good for the first time in many, many years. My life back. It is wonderful!

My story in a nutshell: (Well, it is longer than I thought.. You might want to sit back with a cup of tea)
I have always had problems with my digestion; starting as an infant where part of my intestines were removed. Problems remained throughout time. (I can tell you where most bathrooms are in any place I have been- true story!) I always knew it was caused from food, even when doctors told me that there was no such thing as food allergies or problems (this is when I was a child). But to feel well, I kept trying to figure it out by eliminating foods that I “thought” made me sick. For the longest time I blamed everything on meat- so I thought being a vegetarian (14 years) would answer all my problems. It didn’t. I kept getting worse and remained a medical mystery. Because I was misdiagnosed for most of my life, Gluten & Fructose took a toll on my system and caused other health problems. Finally, in my mid-30’s a medical abstract came across my desk on Celiac Disease. I thought someone wrote a book on me. Thankfully, I found a good doctor who tested me for it, and sure enough, this is the problem. Within weeks, I began seeing improvement. But I didn’t fully get better. Then after another Mayo Clinic quest, I was tested & diagnosed with fructose intolerance. I am feeling so much better following these diets- better than I have ever felt. With diet, Spring Forest Qigong, Psych-K, traditional & complementary medicine, etc. I have found much improvement. So now I am basically a meat & potatoes girl, which is kind of funny after being a vegetarian for so many years. Family & friends still take a double look at me when I am eating meat. So even though my life has been a rollercoaster; I can thank prayer & insight/intuition, great doctors & healers, determination & persistence, etc. as helping me live each day creating wellness for myself & helping others. I am a testimony that life can improve and can become full again.

So, in future Blog entries, I’ll share more tips, food ideas & recipes, & things that helped in my healing process. I want to share this information so that no one else has to suffer for decades with a disease that is very treatable with diet. It might not be fun, but it is so worth it to feel good again! One of my doctors said “You can do this” as I stared back at her with wide eyes. And she was right. It can be done.

"Dreams Come True" Acrylic

"Dreams Come True" (c) 2007

Acrylic on Panel, 16"x15"

(c) All Rights Reserved

One can't help but feel very lucky when they are around this shamrock. This painting was completed on St. Patrick's Day, which I believe gives it that extra special magic of the day. May the luck of the Irish be with you! (Ádh na nÉireannach)

Original Painting & Greeting Cards Available

Happy St. Patrick's Day

"Reaching for the Stars" (c)2005

Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 16"x17"

(c) All Rights Reserved

This is an example of my Celtic Art. I began creating this type of art right after college. I sat down on my drafting table one day, and this is the type of art that emerged. (I have no formal painting background. My training is through practice and trying new things from the art store.) I love creating art with the interlacing knotwork. Each piece is done free-hand, without rulers, compasses or other tools. Over the years I have experimented with other painting techniques and subjects, but I always come back to my Irish roots. Happy St. Patrick's Day! It is a very special holiday- right up there with Christmas in our family. Please visit http://www.ckgalleria.com/ for more examples of my Celtic Art.

Giclee Archival Prints & Greeting Cards Available.

"Divine Love" Acrylic

"Divine Love" (c) 2007

Acrylic on Panel, 18"x32"

(c) All Rights Reserved

This is a painting of a Lotus flower completed a few days ago for an upcoming Art Show at the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, MN. I get a lot of requests to paint Lotus flowers since they are very healing, peaceful and spiritual. This will make a beautiful focal point for the show in the Mezzanine of the Historic Theatre.

Original Painting & Greeting Cards Available

Art Show Details:

Solo exhibit

April 3 – May 13, 2007

The Sheldon Theatre, Red Wing, MN 55066

Artist Reception Saturday, April 21, 2007

5:00-6:30

This reception is in conjunction with the performance of The Wailin’ Jennys whose musical art is also Celtic based. www.sheldontheatre.org/

"Shine" Acrylic

"Shine" (c) 2006

Acrylic on Panel, 12" x 9"

(c) All Rights Reserved

This is a painting of a Dahlia. When shopping for plants for the garden, I fell in love with all the beautiful Dahlia's reaching for the sun. I knew that this would be the perfect flower for the upcoming "Miniature" Art Show. The requirements were that it had to be smaller than 12" square.

Greeting Cards Available

Radiant Jewel, Acrylic

"Radiant Jewel" (c) 2005

Acrylic on Panel, 12"x16"

(c) All Rights Reserved

I love painting flowers and doing Celtic Art, and I thought this would be a great way to combine the two into one piece. To see more of my Celtic Art, please visit my website: www.ckgalleria.com

Greeting Cards Available

"Birds Eye View", Acrylic

"Birds Eye View" (c) 2005

Acrylic on Panel, 14" x 18"

All Rights Reserved

This painting was created for a Garden Walk in Minnesota. I was chosen to paint in Jackie Rhein's amazing gardens. Several artists were chosen to paint in a different garden for the day, and each piece of art was auctioned off to help a local group. It was unbearably hot & humid with temperatures over 100 degrees, but it was fun to spend the day in a garden, listening to an orchestra and painting.

Greeting Cards Available