Rustic Imperfection

I've always had the ability to draw or paint just about anything. If I can SEE it in front of me, I can replicate it. For example, when my nephew was born my brother & sister in law wanting artwork to match his cute little dinosaur bedding. Or when a client wanted this chair painted to match her little girls bedding. I have more examples, but I think you get the point. So when it comes to just painting what you feel or your own pieces, it's a little different for me. It doesn't come as natural or as easy as I would like. It's definitely a work in progress. Here's what I've done so far. What do you think? Do any of you doubt yourself when it comes to your own work?   UPDATE: I'm proud to say I sold my 1st original piece of art! 💗 -Amber

I haven't painted in awhile, so when I picked up that paintbrush I was as nervous as it gets. Thankfully 5 minutes into painting it felt just as natural as it did 2 years ago. After I finished this piece I let it sit & sit & sit..... for 2 months! I was too nervous to post it for everyone to see. I know that might sound crazy but that's me. Finally I worked up the courage to post it, to put my work back out there & it sold! My first piece in what seemed like forever!  Now I know there are thousands of women (& men) who paint furniture for a living & I am by no means saying that I compare to even half of them but being out of the game for so long & then selling my first piece in what seemed like forever was a HUGE boost of confidence that I desperately needed.   Since it had been a little while since I had painted, I decided to try a different line of paints. I used Debi's Design Diary's DIY Paint & Wax. I absolutely love it!

While I do enjoy painting furniture, I also have a knack for painting kids art. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the grown-up stuff & just paint something for a little one. The excitement on their face is priceless. When my kids were little I would paint murals in their rooms. My daughters room had a huge Winnie the Pooh mural & my son had a Batman one.  And I've had a few clients want some Cars decor for their little ones.  Sometimes it's just fun to let your inner kid come out & paint. -Amber

So I've been painting & selling furniture & canvas art since 2013, but I've been painting for as long as I can remember. I had another blog page called  RusticRehab  but was new to blogging & didn't keep up with it as much as I should have. In 2015 my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer & passed away just a few months later. As a daddy's girl, it broke me. As a mom, it made me dig deep & find strength that I didn't know I had to help my kids through the grieving process. What started as a break from painting to deal with his passing turned into 2 years! So fast forward to now.... I'm back at it!!  You can check out some of my older pieces at  Rustic Rehab . I also wanted to show you a few I've done more recently. Tell me what you think!  I'm excited to be painting again & doing what I love to do.  -Amber