Why I'm Leaving Hawai'i...

Oh my yessss, folks, believe it or not my time on this fabulous lil island has come to an end. But it’s not a reason to be sad at all! Far from it! There are many more exciting adventures on the horizon - Yay:):):)

If you’d like to read a bit about my thought process while coming to this decision, as well as my next adventure plans, check out my latest Birds of a Feather newsletter here where I dive in a lil deeper on my prospects as an artist here vs the mainland. And if you generally like to be in the know about big news coming from the Nest weeks before my YouTube or Insta fam make sure you subscribe to my newsletter here where you’ll also get a more personal peek at this working artist’s life in ways I don’t necessarily share publicly…

If you didn’t see my recent vid all about my life on O’ahu these past four years check it out here.

It has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one and after every mind-expanding, worldly, beautiful, or transcendent experience I remind myself not to be sad that it’s over, but to be happy it happened.

I love you, folks! And I can’t wait to take you on so many more adventures with me!!

10.18.2019

Camping on Top of a Mountain!

23 intense hours on a ridge including one wild whipping windy wet night on the edge of an insane precipice of the Ko’olau mountains!

On my most extreme adventure to date with my twinsie Emsy we decided to hike the Mau’umae ridge to the Ko’olau summit, camp for the night, then turn right and hike the hairpin mother mountain to the next ridge offshoot, Wiliwilinui, which we had staged a car at the end of.

Trails as narrow as your foot!

We made it about halfway through our journey and had to turn back at the Lanipo peak because the trail ceased to exist. We tried busting through the vegetation for a few minutes to see if we could pick back up on the ridge on the other side, but considering that’s how hikers disappear we decided to play it safe and go back the way we came. Good thing that only added two hours to our plan that day, for a total of just under 9 hours hiking in two days.

We started our journey on Wednesday with the warm afternoon sun hiking up into the white-out clouds, then as evening approached and got chillier we reached the summit where the wind is always stronger. We were able to get the tent set up and change into warm clothes before snuggling in while feeling our tent get whipped around like there was a full grown man jostling it from the outside.

We didn’t want to carry too much weight in our packs so we opted for multiple clothing layers rather than blankets or sleeping bags. Unfortunately the tarp under our tent didn’t quite keep the rain from seeping in the bottom so about mid-way through the night we both found ourselves with chilly wet pants. We half-slept til morning with the rain luckily abating and the sun welcoming us with a view looking down upon practically the entire island.

After a light breakfast we set off to climb the Ko’olau range, which has been a personal goal of mine, and let me tell you that is one skinny ridge line! Whew! The trail is mostly directly on the tippy top of the ridge with plenty of it being less that 1 foot wide. There are lots of bushes of ferns surrounding the trail which give you a sense of security, however the rooting can be deceitful. Certain areas can look like a good place for your foot but can really be disguising a hole that could send you straight down the side of the mountain under the shrubs should you place your weight in the wrong position. Needless to say this Birdie had no problem utilizing her 3 points of contact continuously. As we made our way back to the car on Thursday the sun was really blazing by noon and those last two hours sent us shimmying to get back into the shade.

All in all the journey was muddy and brutal and super intense in all of the most wonderful ways and I am so grateful to have shared this experience with my adventure sister Emsy ...because who doesn’t love to torture themselves with a good challenge, right?!

10.16.2019

What To Do With Used Oil Paint

Aloha folks, I hope you find today’s video especially useful around the studio because I’ve had a surprising amount of questions regarding what to do with used paint, either as a way to extend its life and keep using it, or as how to properly dispose of it.

Lucky you because today I’m gonna cover both!

Shout out to Mike Cleland, amongst a few more, for this video idea :)

As a side note, let me please emphasize again that it is very important to dispose of oil rags + old paint properly and not in your household trash. Unfortunately, that stuff is not good to seep in the soil no matter how ‘odorless’ or inoffensive it may seem. Let’s all do our part to clean up after ourselves and love our Mother Earth while we create amazing works of art, ok?

10.11.2019

30 Day Instagram Challenge

Okee dokee folks, this week’s vid is a big one! I came up with a big worksheet full of ways to boost engagement on your artsy Instagram page and I’m gonna show you exactly how I did mine.

It was a lot of work but I definitely did get a lot of new eyes on my artwork so I’m pretty happy with the results. Hopefully this vid will inspire you to get more active and excited with your page because with IG’s ever-changing and often mysterious algorithm it can feel disheartening at times to post your very best work when you feel almost no appreciation in return.

Here is my completed spreadsheet:

And here’s a blank printable copy of the worksheet for you!

Make sure you check out the rest of my 'Owning Your Instagram for Artists' series here:

Hashtagging for Artists

The Ugly Truth About Instagram Art Share Pages

How to Get Featured on Instagram

I’ve found these other YouTubers to be especially helpful with Instagram:

Sunny Leonarduzzi

Jade Darmawangsa

Good luck perking up your audience, friends! If you have any other suggestions I can share in a future video please leave me a note in the comments.:)

10.4.2019

3D Oil Painting Demo :: Fern Tummy

Well the name pretty much says it all with this new cute lil piece. At only 4x3 inches I believe this may be the smallest oil painting I’ve ever created, and certainly the smallest 3D one for sure!

I incorporated some of my favorite ferns I see on all my Hawai’i hikes. fractal ferns. They are especially sturdy and they seem to hold some color fairly well even after being dried for a few months. I can’t wait to use fern more in the future for these works. There are so many varieties and are some of my fave plants for sure!

Here’s my tutorial on frame-making:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJcIFE__tlU

And here’s all you need to know about pouring resin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxmP_I9gEvM&t=415s

9.27.2019

My Life in Hawai'i

Welcome to my happy Hawai'i life!! I am so excited to share my cute town, favorite hikes and beaches, and plenty of adventure hula hooping with you today!

I've been on O'ahu for just under four years, and while it certainly feels like home at this point, there is still so much of the island I'm still discovering. Although I have always been an outdoors person, living here has taken my love of the natural world to entirely new heights.

Enjoy this lil snapshot of Hawai'ian life and if you haven't yet, go ahead and add O'ahu to your bucket list - you will not be disappointed!!

Here's a vid detailing my art studio set-up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_KhZ6C8gAo

And a popular vid of the old bungalow with the outdoor bathroom I used to live too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtqz0-jvfw8

9.20.2019

30 Day Studio Clearance Sale!!

Woo Hoo! I'm having a big huge 30 day studio clearance sale starting September 15!! Help me turn all this backstock art and art goodies stacking up in my studio into future art supplies!

Make sure you follow me on Instagram to see what is discounted or up for auction every day - from original paintings and drawings to one-of prints, to stickers + buttons!

There's sooo much to snag!

https://www.instagram.com/caleighbirdart/

9.15.2019

3 Ways to Get Featured on Instagram

I've got three ways to get featured on Instagram for artists for you today friends! The first one is definitely the most time consuming and involved, but will garner the biggest results.

The second two suggestions are much easier but you'll need to do them more often to be effective.

So remember:

• Collaborate with brands or influencers

• Pay to play on art share pages

• Tag and hashtag art share pages and hope for the best

Make sure you see the rest of my 'Owning Your Instagram for Artists' series as I reference these videos in the one you're watching today:

Instagram Hashtags for Artists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YnlZE0lFNw&t=5s

The Ugly Truth About Instagram Art Share Pages

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDD6ObNaA-U&t=2s

Snag Mini Prints here while they last:

https://www.caleighbirdart.com/shop/mini-silken-smile-print

https://www.caleighbirdart.com/shop/mini-silken-smile-print-zr3wz

9.14.2019

Ask an Artist 2 :: Objects vs. Artwork + Showing Artists Some Love

Welcome back to my fun segment where I answer art’s most pressing questions! Today on Ask an Artist I’ve got two excellent questions somewhat pertaining to art appreciation.

I pulled both of them from Quora where I like to hang out and help others artists from time to time. If you’d like to see some of the other artsy advice I’ve given you can check out my page here.

These questions were also featured on my last YouTube video where I give the same answers, but discuss them a little more in depth. And if you have anything you’d like answered, go ahead and leave your question in the comments below here or in the YouTube comments for a chance to have it answered on the next segment!

Q1: How do I stop simply depicting objects and start making art?

That is a very deep question, I love it! I think your ‘objects’ will become ‘art’ when your choice of subject gains meaning behind it. It’s one thing to paint a jug of milk sitting on your dining room table for example, but quite another if that jug of milk is conceptually a critique about the old fashioned notion of women being bound to role of wife/mother/provider/nurturer.

See the difference?

Base your works on something that is meaningful to you/society/your niche and even if the technical aspect remains the same, you will all of a sudden be creating art instead of rendering objects.

Personally I spent over a decade devoted to learning how to correctly portray the figure before I felt comfortable actually using my skills to get more creative and fill my works with meaning, and I’m glad I waited. It sounds like you might be hitting that point within your practice as well - how exciting!

If you would like a little help creating meaningful works or learning how to talk and write about them, check out this video I have on my YouTube channel. How to Write an Artist Statement: Motivational Step by Step!! Even if you’re not ready to sit down and write about your portfolio it could inspire your new level of art-making.

Congrats on feeling ready to move forward:)

Q2: How can I support an artist I like without spending money?

Sharing their work while giving full credit and tagging etc. is a fantastic way to help artists. It’s one of the main ways we grow! You can also help send folks their way if, for example, your friend got a new place and thinking of buying art.

If you know the artist personally sometimes you can send opportunities their way. Like if an art teaching job opens up or there’s some big art contest happening, I’ll often have a few friends forward me links when they hear about them. Definitely showing up an being supportive at any art shows is a big win too.

That’s so awesome when folks like you show artists some real love!

Make sure to drop me a question below if you’ve got anything you’d love to Ask an Artist, and remember, I’m always here for one-on-one mentoring too!

9.11.2019

Ask an Artist 2 :: Q&A + Figure Drawing Demo

Yay time for another Ask an Artist!

Today I answer two really awesome questions loosely about art/artist appreciation. I don’t want to give anything away so enjoy the vid. If you’d like to see my answers written out, stay tuned to my blog next week.

Here's the materials I use to draw:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUcnWwKL59g

If you would like more info on getting your own handmade-with-love toned (or white) paper sketchbook pop over here to be kept in the loop for my next sketchbook release: https://www.caleighbirdart.com/handmade-sketchbooks

9.6.2019