Fresh restart.

Hello, all! Long time no post. In the efforts of revamping my website and all of my social media, I am making a better effort at keeping my blog updated. I've also integrated myself into Bluesky (Bsky), Cara, ArtStation and DeviantArt! Check me out on those platforms by clicking the links, they will house my portfolios as well as all kinds of videos. I'm also heavily considering uploading old Twitch VODs to my YouTube page.

I will pick up where I left off soon. Glad to be back!!

- Mina

Spring Craft Fairs

This spring I started to attend my first-ever craft fairs as a vendor. The above photo is from my first craft fair in Bellevue, where I learned a lot and networked all day. It was a fantastic learning experience and I was able to determine how I'd like to start turning my booth into.

My 2022 Recap!

I had a fantastic and productive year. In total, I completed 26 paintings with 21 paintings being available for my first-ever shop launch on January 6th at 4:00 pm, which is SIX!!! days away! I've never done something like this, and leading up to this point in my life I didn't really think something of this scale could be possible, but with the assistance of perseverance, people who love me in my life and a fantastic therapist I am achieving some big goals and dreams.

Varnish Project Final Thoughts

Top to bottom: Sunflower, Hibiscus, Mirabilis Jalapa

I first started this project because I wanted to see if there was a way for me to manipulate the finishes of my paintings without sacrificing the values and clarity of the paintings themselves combined with my lack of experience in photographing my art. Anytime I would photograph my artwork I would be battling against the glare due to my high-gloss varnish and I just wouldn’t be pleased with how it looked. My fiancé said that he likes the glare because it shows off paint strokes in various areas and while I agree, it still doesn’t feel like it renders well in photographs. I even had the idea to add to every one of my paintings in my art shop a short video or GIF of me rotating the painting back and forth to give a better feel of the paintings - and while I still plan on doing this before my big website launch, it’s still something that kind of frustrates me.

2022 October Plein Air Challenge - My Final Thoughts on Actually Completing My First-Ever Art Challenge

Top row, left to right: Cornfield, Lost Home. Bottom row, left to right: Under the Bridge, Fall on the Keystone

I had a really good time completing this October Plein Air challenge. I had only gone plein air painting once before this challenge in preparation. Additionally, I worked on the Foundations Course by Paint Coach to refresh my skills. I knew that painting in this new style would be challenging and difficult for me and I am glad that I took the time to work on developing my skills beforehand. I can definitely see refinement and development over these four paintings.