Good afternoon good people what’s good? Well I’ll tell you! My friends Suzy and Carolyn and I will be hosting Gifting Handmade Happiness a virtual workshop on Nov 6th! 10am-1:30pm EST. We have three crafts that you will enjoy making to give for the holidays! Please visit https://suzyultman.com/handmadehappiness This will be fun for the whole family. The cost is $15 per family. So gather your art supplies by going to visit https://suzyultman.com/handmadehappiness and reserve your seat and tickets there. Looking forward to sharing with all of you I know we’re gonna have a lot of fun! #GiftingHandmadeHappiness #suzyultman #carolynsuzuki #vanessabrantleynewton #craffting #happiness #handmadewithlove #funforthewholefamily

A Peek Into My Studio

If you have ever been interested in seeing the inside of my studio then click this link to see it

https://youtu.be/r4xIDT-durM 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/no-place-for-hate-book-club-an-evening-with-vanessa-brantley-newton-tickets-144029541235

Hello Good Peoples! Hope that you are doing as well as you can in this strange time that we are in.

I will be doing a virtual visit at 6:30pm on tomorrow at PS321 NYC for their book club called,

"No Place For Hate". I will be reading from Just Like Me and One Love and Grandma's Purse if time

allows. We will also be doing a little art project that will be great for the whole family. The link is above.

Please join us if you can!

Thanks!

 

The PS321 No Place for Hate Book Club is hosting award winning and NY Times best selling author Vanessa Bradley Newton.

Ms. Newton will share her creative journey, read from her most recent book of poetry “Just Like Me” and host a live drawing session. The virtual event is this Thursday, April 8th from 6:30 pm - 8 pm.

Registration for this family-friendly event is free via our Eventbrite page. Donations towards the NPFH Book Club will also be accepted.

The Community Bookstore is currently offering her books at a 20% discount for NPFH Book Club families. Use event code 321VBN at checkout.

Thank you for your ongoing support in getting diverse books into our class libraries and into the hands of our beautiful children.

Happy Women's Month everyone! I celebrate each and every one of you fabulous women and girls! We are often told that we need to be strong or that some of us are too strong. That you must open your mouth and say something and then told we talk to much be quiet and sweet. We are not enough or just to much and so on and so on and I say," Quiet the voices inside and all around that try to tell you who you should be and if you can... JUST BE YOU! Just be calm if you can. Just get a moment for yourself to encourage YOU! Sometimes we are waiting for others to say something positive, uplifting and constructive, but sometimes it has to come from YOU! Some of us are waiting to be loved and discovered and I am going to encourage you to love you and discover awesome, fabulous, lovable you! We sometimes expect so much from us, ourselves and even in a dang pandemic we won't show ourselves or others grace! Yeah, I am on my soap box, but it's because I am feeling so many of you just trying to move through all of this and come out on the other sane and in control. The process is different for all of us, but we are going to make it. I believe that we are going to make it and come through this and be stronger, speak louder, love harder, and celebrate ourselves and each other! Happy Women's Month everyone!! Shine, Shine, Shine!

Sometimes we as adults can crush our children with our negative words and fears. My mom and dad didn't want me to go to art school. Not because I wasn't good at art, but because, "How can a child be what it's never seen before?" They were concerned because how will she take care of herself? Aren't most artist starving ones? They didn't want that for me so they told me more about how it would better serve me to me a nurse or teacher. My grades however said otherwise.

Children often tell us who they want to be early on in life.

We just talk them out of it and sometimes it's out of our own fears of

dreaming big and not seeing it come forth like we had hoped for ourselves. I often wonder what we would say to our kids if some of our hopes and dream did come true like we desired? Would we tell them something different , like... I believe in you kid! You can do this.

Just try your hardest and I will be here for you when you finish! I knew you could! Dream bigger and bigger and run to your destiny. That kind of message can give children hope and the ability to at least try. We as adults first have to give it to ourselves through self love and so many of us lack it. We have to be there for everyone except ourselves me included. Before I start typing this stuff out here I have to deal with it myself. We can't give to others what wasn't given to us. My folks loved me and sister, but nobody ever told them that they believed in them or that they could do whatever they set their minds to do. Thank God my parents had minds of their own and kept it moving. At least I got that! We are not prefect by a long shot, but when you know better I think you want to do better. Start with you. Say something positive about your own fabulous self. Little steps until you leap into something more positive. Oh, by the way this print is for sale. 9x12 museum print signed and numbered limited edition at

$45.00 a copy. You can inbox me at Artworkbymsv@yahoo.com until we set up our store on Etsy and here as well. Until then say something positive and spread joy!

Black History Month is every single day for our family. We celebrate the ones that came before and have gone on. Shirley Chisholm was one of my favorite heroins and it is my joy to recreate her in my own way to celebrate the great treasure and woman she was.

This was done in collage on sketchbook paper. Found old an new papers used to create this image. Try to collage somebody you admire or know!

Have a good one.