Sips of Inspiration: an Interview with Misty Olsen

After a bit of a break, Sips of Inspiration is back!

I’m so excited to introduce you to Misty Olsen. Misty is an artist who’s working toward her dream of creating children’s books.

Collecting Everyday Joys

What a week it’s been.

Although I think they’re a good idea any time, when life feels heavy or dark, I find it helps to write a Joy List.

In Celebration of Butterflies

Last week a package arrived on my doorstep. I thought it was going to be some backordered art supplies. But the box was bigger than I was expecting. And it was heavy.

When I saw the label I couldn’t wait to get the box opened. It was my Minky Couture blanket!

Paint. Garden. Repeat.

These are my favorite days, dividing my time between my studio and my garden.

I’ve been unplugging as much as possible. And it feels good to be so focused. I’ve fallen in love, again, with my art. There’s so much to paint! Some flowers come and go in the blink of an eye.

May in the Garden and the Studio

May is steadily marching by and spring is unfurling a little bit more each day. The nest of baby grackles in the bushes behind our fence has already been vacated. And yet I’m impatient with spring’s progression this year. Maybe every year. But this year, especially so. Mostly I just want nice weather. Sunshine and warm air so I can walk barefoot in the garden and plunge my hands into the soil.

garden, paintings, artAnne ButeraMay 22, 2020garden projects, gardening, spring, studio, art practice, art studio, art evolution, style evolution, artist style development, bee skep, diy bee skep Comments

Flower Stories

One of the things I love most about making and sharing art is forging connections around the beauty and joys of flowers. Over and over again my customers have shared their personal stories of certain plants or flowers.

When Your Word for the Year is "Do"

Back in December I chose “DO” as my word for the year. Lately I’ve been thinking about that choice. Wondering if it’s a bit ironic. Wondering how I feel about it now. Wondering if I should choose another word for the rest of the year.

Thoughts on Failure

I’ve been thinking about failure. About journeys. Curiosity. Ebbs and flows. Changes.

We’re constantly in a state of change. Sometimes the change is so slow, so gradual, we don’t notice. Other times we’re faced with bigger changes. Or decisions we have to make which will lead to change.

2019 Year in Review (& Thoughts About a Decade)

Another year has drawn to a close. Another decade, too. On January 1, 2009 I wrote in my journal: “2010. Wow. Seems so futuristic.” And here we are in 2020, even more futuristic-sounding.

But I don’t want to jump into 2020 without spending some time considering 2019 first.

life, creativity, studio, sewing, paintings, gratitude, joy, artAnne ButeraJanuary 3, 2020word of the year, year in review, 2019, 2020 Calendars, 2020 desk calendars, art, painting, goals, intentions, 2020, welcoming the new year, growth, Grow, GROW, greyhounds, retired racing greyhounds, challenges, life, life challenges, watercolor paintings, a year of paintings, a year of watercolor paintings, joy, handmade joy exchange, failure, being unafraid to fail, learning from our failures, art dreams, art by Anne Butera, artist, art exhibit, Viroqua Wisconsin, Viva Gallery in Viroqua Wisconsin, Rooted Spoon, Rooted Spoon Kitchen Table, Rooted Spoon Culinary Viroqua Wisconsin, Viroqua Healing Arts Center, McIntosh Memorial Library, embroidery, sewing, spoonflower garment sewing, fabric design, Spoonflower, studio, art studio, sketchbooks, sketchbook practice, Sketchbooks, Dana Barbieri, collaboration, collaborative sketchbook, artist collaboration, yoga, yoga mats, Youtube, skillshare, Skillshare, sketchbook class on Skillshare, Skillshare classes, Skillshare teacher, teaching on Skillshare, Anne Butera's Skillshare classes, gouache, creative journey, creative journeys, garden, gardening, garden joy, looking back, looking forward, dreams, don't give up on your dreams, dreaming big, creative dreams, big dreams, moving from dreaming to doing, living your dream, making our creative dreams real, making your creative dreams real, going for your creative dreams, grow, intention, inner critic, Sonya Philip, Yoga With Adriene Comments

Growing Inspiration: Dahlias

Dahlias! Oh, dahlias. They’re one of those swoon-inducing flowers you’re sure to see when scrolling around on Instagram or Pinterest. Other than sunflowers, they have the biggest flowers I know.

This and That

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a hodgepodge sort of post. Most of the time I only share inspiring links in my monthly Joy Letters*, but there’s no reason not to share some here once in a while, too (like Dana does with her Lovely Things posts).

Calendars are Here! (And a Pep Talk)

Back in 2011 I had a dream to create a calendar with my art.* Two years later I was finally able to do it. Every year since then I’ve designed a calendar with new paintings. It’s one of my favorite projects.

I think I say it every year, but this calendar is my favorite!

calendars, life, artAnne ButeraOctober 18, 20192020 Calendars, calendars, desk calendars, 2020 desk calendars, Anne Butera, Anne Butera's Botanical Watercolor Calendars, art journey, creative journey, inspiration, using Photoshop, learning Photoshop, dreaming big, big dreams, art dreams, creative dreams, determination, stubbornness, hard work, creative work is hard, Cottages and Bungalows Magazine, creative development, looking back, celebrating success, my development as an artist, my story, botanical illustration, botanical watercolor, business, creative business, business sense, art business, creative pep talk, encouragement, creative encouragement, words of encouragement, art practice, working hard, designing a calendar, Skillshare, Skillshare classes, teaching on Skillshare Comments

An Opening Reception

Last night was the opening reception for my show at Viva Gallery in my town of Viroqua, Wisconsin. The gallery is an artist cooperative with 23 (I think) members and each month it hosts a guest artist. I’m the guest for the month of October.

Tea Towels and Getting Back into the Swing of Things

Last night we got back from vacation, a trip to Ohio to visit Matthias’ family. We had a wonderful time. it was great to get away, to relax and have fun with family.

growing inspiration: tomatoes

So far my Growing Inspiration posts have been about flowers. Of course I love flowers. I love growing them and painting them. I love cutting them for the house and watching the butterflies and bees and hummingbirds visit them in the garden.

But one of my very favorite things about the garden is eating from it.

growing inspiration: violas

In my first Growing Inspiration post I wrote about nasturtiums. If there’s a flower I’ve drawn and painted more than the nasturtium, it might be the viola.

They always have a place in my garden.

growing inspiration: nasturtiums

About this time of year when the garden is at its height I begin making notes for next year. What I want to grow more of. What I forgot to grow. What I’d like to try. Today I’m sharing the first of a series of posts about some of my favorite plants to grow (and paint). I’d love for you to join in and share some of your favorites, too.

garden, fabric, joy, inspiration, artAnne ButeraAugust 9, 2019nasturtiums, watercolor, watercolor process, watercolor painting, anne butera, garden planning, garden inspiration, gardening, growing plants from seed, gardening on a budget, gardening on a tight budget, growing nasturtiums, fabric design, fabric, growing inspiration, inspiration from the garden, about me, budget friendly gardening, how to grow nasturtiums, edible flowers, cottage gardens, creating a cottage garden, my favorite flowers, favorite flowers, nasturtium varieties, nasturtium fabric, nasturtium paintings, where i find inspiration, where does inspiration come from, Spoonflower, spoonflower fabric, spoonflower fabric designer, spoonflower garment sewing, mindfulness practice, mindfulness, observing nature, slowing down Comments

summer's wild abandon

I wrote that phrase in my journal this week to describe my garden, but I think it’s a good phrase to describe what I want life to be right now.

soaking it up

I sit in the garden and watch the robins taking turns on the nest in the birch tree. The nest is perched in a crotch of branches high above my patio. It doesn’t look very secure, but I’ve watched it hold tight when its windy. One robin swoops to the branch and the other plunges away. A few minutes later they switch. And switch again.

Rest, creative energy and art

Last week I wrote about how making time for doing nothing, for rest, and for savoring the joys of summer is important for well-being and creativity.

And then a funny thing happened.

notes from the studio