Gulf Coast Art

Since I mainly keep my blog and art social media sites business, I thought I'd change things up  and do a "get to know the artist" post. Since this relates to my current artwork, I wanted to share a bit about my family vacation with you.

I'm from Arkansas and have lived there my whole life, with exception of a short two month stint in Orlando working at Disney World.  I have been married for 21 years, and we have 3 amazing daughters that keep us very busy.  

I have been coming to the Gulf Coast on vacation since I was a little girl, mainly staying in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area. We also love Destin and the 30A area, but most trips we are too impatient to drive the extra 3 hours, especially now that we have relocated to Northwest Arkansas and our drive is already 11+ hours. 

I love to stay in a place on the beach that is less crowded and void of the high rise commotion. We mostly just chill and spend time on the beach and eat in at our condo. I love cooking when I'm not in a rush, so on vacation it's more of a pleasure than a chore, plus I don't like to have to "get ready" when we've been on the beach all day.  

For me, it's such a treat to have no agenda or a place to be. I savor the moments of being able to sit and think, enjoy the views, people watch, pray, journal and snuggle on the couch with my family after a long day of sun, walking on the beach, playing in the waves, and hunting crabs and seashells. Some of my other family members have a different definition of a fun vacation, so we do have to throw in some outings.

This year, my vacation was partially a working one, but when you are not on a deadline, and you've got great inspiration, it doesn't feel like work at all.  And I can't think of a better way to help pay for a trip to the beach :)

As far my art journey goes, I took art in the summer as a child and have always loved the creative process, working for many years pre-mom days in the advertising and marketing field. I started painting about 18 years ago when I was inspired by Arkansas artist Arden Boyce and decided to sign up for oil painting lessons at Hobby Lobby-how funny is that!! When I became pregnant with my first child, I put away my oils and started painting things in acrylic with a whimsical nature, mostly for my girls rooms, and then by word of mouth for others. When my middle daughter started kindergarten, I put up my brushes again and started teaching art to kids, which grew into pretty much a full time gig for the next 8 years. 

So I would say that I'm pretty much a self taught artist, I love the experimentation process and feel my style is constantly evolving. I'm always inspired by God's word, something beautiful I've seen in nature, or eye catching color combinations coming from God's amazing color palette. I love to paint not only because it is a natural way for me to express myself, but because it offers a visual record of things God has impressed upon my heart and mind, as well as helping me communicate those truths to others. 

I'm deeply grateful and humbled to be able use my creative gifts for His glory. I am so thankful for the people and opportunities He has placed in my path to encourage me to continue in my artistic endeavors, and for those of you who choose to give my art a special place in your lives and homes. 

Here's a few of the painting studies I completed while I was at Perdido Key. I will be putting these up for sale to the public soon, but have a special for all my Facebook, Instagram. newsletter and Blogger followers, so read on. These paintings are in acrylic on an 8" x 8" x 3/4" stretched canvas with finished edges. 

I will be putting finishing touches on them when I get back to Arkansas,  and selling them for $65 each. As a special thank you to all my followers, I am offering these for $45 each until August 9. I'm hoping I can get them all sold before I have time to list on Etsy :))))) I will offer a flat shipping fee of $5, but if you purchase two or more (they look great paired), I will ship for free. 

If you spend time at the gulf, add these to your home decor to remind you all year long of your favorite beach destination.

So lets try this!

Email me at spanglerstacy@yahoo.com and let me know which paintings you want along (by number reference above) with your email address, and I will send you a pay pal invoice. I will reserved paintings in the order that I receive emails. These will be ready to ship out in about 2 weeks and will come ready to hand with hanging hardware.

I'm not a photographer, but I'll share a few inspiration shots that I hope to paint when I get home as reminders of our time here at the gulf. Enjoy!