Happy New Year 2015

It's my first blog post of the New Year! Happy New Year!

I'm sharing my project for the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog. Our challenge was to use a new-to-you technique or product.

I had been saving a wine bottle to do something with, so I decided to pull it out and decoupage it. I chose a palette of blues and greens and browns. It was quite easy to do. I can envision a grouping of these to decorate tables.

Our sponsor this month is Butterfly Reflections Ink. The random winner of all those that participate will win a $25 store gift certificate. How cool is that? 

To enter, link your projects to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog anytime in January. We can't wait to see your projects. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great new year!

Artist Meet and Greet in New Orleans

To my friends who will be in New Orleans this weekend, you are invited to celebrate with us at the Great Artists Collective on Royal Street in the French Quarter. Many of the artists will be there for you to meet in person.



The Great Artists Collective is at 815 Royal Street, just a few blocks from Jackson Square. My friend owns Royal Street Deli on the corner of Ann and Royal, just a few doors down from the gallery. They have wonderful red beans and rice. I can't wait to eat there again.

There will be numerous people from Northeast Louisiana visiting this New Orleans that weekend because two of our high schools are playing in the championship games at the Super Dome. I'm so excited to be able to visit the French Quarter during the Christmas Holidays.

Speaking of Christmas - the Christmas on the River Parade and events this past weekend were fun. Here are a few of the many photos I took.







Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful week.

The Friday Goodies Go To...

It's Friday!!! Yipppee. Thank you to everyone that left comments on Melony Bradley's guest blogger post as well as Jacquards facebook page and my art studio facebook page. It's time to announce the winner of the giveaway. (drumroll) My daughter had the honor of picking a name...

The lucky winner is



Congratulations, Carol Bray! I will need your mailing address, so if I don't send you a message, be sure to contact me via my facebook page or at art@melaniedouthit.com.

Thanks everyone. Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Inspiration

It's a beautiful fall day. Yes, fall has finally arrived! Date night tonight with hubby and friends and a live band (yes). Sweater weather, spooky decorations in the neighbors yard at night, and sneaking halloween candy from the stash that is supposed to be for the treaters next week! Wish we could have October for a couple extra weeks!!

Just sharing a painting I completed this summer for a show. I love New Orleans in the fall.


"Cafe Dumonde" 30" x 24" acrylic on Canvas, by Melanie Douthit

Our downtown art crawl was last week. We had live music from the wonderful Amanda McDowell, and a huge crowd. Several people commented that the crowd we had was the largest ever. It was so much fun!


me and mindy

And I made the EBSQ Art Blog for Friday Five! Check it out!

I'll be working on more commissions next week and also something new a different. I'll update soon. Have a great weekend!

Friday Inspiration

Happy Friday! I just wanted to post something inspiriting today. One of the artists from my flying lessons course shared this with us and I love it.

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. " ~ Martha Graham ~


And some visual inspiration!



This is "Happy Hour for Two", original painting by Melanie Douthit, 28" x 22" with gallery style framing.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

First weekend of fall

It's the first weekend of fall! What are you going to do today? We will be going to a local vineyard (betcha didn't know Louisiana had vineyards!) to listen to live Cajun music with friends. After such a long hot summer, it's finally beautiful weather so we are going to enjoy it as much as possible.

We are rotating the art in Ouachita River Art Gallery this weekend so I've been busy creating some French Quarter paintings. I'm planning on going back to New Orleans soon, just because I miss it. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy Northeast Louisiana with family, friends and maybe have some jambalaya.



Here's a little sneak peek I put together of some of my new art. (Now I'm craving a crawfish quesadilla from Marigny Brasserie and beignets from Cafe DuMonde).

Enjoy your first weekend this fall. Thanks for stopping by!

Reach for the Stars

Have you ever been around someone that inspires you? Have you ever been around someone with what you would label as a "physical limitation" only to learn that the limitation in question is, ironically, their asset? My daughter and I spent a beautiful morning with one of the most fascinating people I've met. John Bramblitt lost his sight in 2001, and he is one of the most amazing artists ever... visual artist, that is. In order to understand this more, watch this video.

The Art of Living Gallery

John taught a workshop this past weekend. He challenged everyone to tap into their non-visual senses. To tap into the relationship of color and sounds, as well as tastes and textures. The students created while blindfolded. They listened to music and interpreted what they felt through color.




John sincerely went to each of the students and asked them to describe what they painted. He was genuinely interested in what color they used and why they used it. I will never create the same way again.






John's spectacular art will hang at the Old Post Office Museum in Winnsboro through the end of October. It's worth the drive to experience his work.

The art of Happy

...or happy art.



I heard that word again this weekend: happy. I went into the coop art gallery where I'm a member and was greeted by a lady that recently bought one of my paintings. We had not met in person until that moment, and she described my art as "happy". I'm going to start journaling every time I hear that word.

"Spring Flowers" from Happy Dayz Art Series. Available for purchase. Contact me!

Two weeks ago I received a message from a collector that lives in the Northeast US:

Hi Melanie!! I just glanced up at my painting a minute ago and I just can't tell you how HAPPY it makes me, every time I look at it. It's so beautiful, and something about the colors is so invigorating..I think it is my favorite thing in the whole house. Thank you!!
Lynn Anne

Today I wish I were the owner of a artsy flowered covered vintage VW van so I could drive it around and watch people smile. Enjoy your Labor Day and thanks for dropping by today. :)

In search of the Mardi Gras Dachshund

September, please bring cool weather quickly. (smile). The turning of the calendar days closer to fall, has me looking forward to cooler weather, even though it's still in the high 90's here. The changing season will still come. And that makes me happy.

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana


I want to do something fun. Years ago on my old (gone) art website, I had a page for people to sign in on when they found me by seeing my Mardi Gras Dachshund at Mimi's Cafe Restaurants. I want to do that again, but with photos.



She looks similar to this photo but has evolved over the years. If you happen to run across this jazzy dog, I would LOVE to hear from you - and even better yet - have a photo of it, or you AND the jazz dog (that part is up to you). Tell me which location you found the jazz dog at so I can put the location with the photo. I'd love to put them up on future blog posts. You can leave a message here. If you sign in with an e-mail address, the e-mail address will only be visible by me - or you can go to my Facebook Page and upload the photo there.



This photo was sent to me this summer by Jansen in Lakeland, Florida of her daughter with the jazz dog.



Linda from California sent me this photo about 9 years ago. I forgot what location she was in, but I think it was near San Francisco.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day and don't forget to turn the page on that calendar.

I'm Taking Flying Lessons

I'm taking flying lessons! I'm taking the e-course "Flying Lessons" from an artist that has deeply influenced me in the past 18 months, Kelly Rae Roberts. This five week course is backed FULL of information on how to let your creative business soar. It's as if we were sitting down one on one picking her brain. Oh, how I've learned so much in the first 2 weeks.



My journey will Kelly began about 18 months ago when I read a friend's blog about Kelly and her art. I was in corporate America at the time and my friend's post re-awakened my creative urges. Within just a couple of months I had Kelly's book and dove back into my art full-force.



Through this e-course, I've already networked with tons of creative people all over the globe and my mind is so full of creative ideas that I'm seeing new art in my dreams. Being able to share the day-to-day aspects of life as a creative person with others who can relate is invaluable. Kelly is so positive, and encourages you to develop relationships with people that are positive influences - those that "celebrate" your successes with you. (And a shout-out to any flying lessons peeps that have stopped by. I'd love to hear from ya! ;) )

I'm looking forward to the weekend. August is passing by so quickly - and summer is nearing to an end. (and my, my has it been a hot one). I'm posting one of my favorite paintings of the summer - my "Moonlight Mermaid". I was inspired to paint this after seeing the mermaids (well, the nice one anyway) in the latest Pirates movie. There is texture AND glitter on her tail. This is still available in my Etsy store. It's 20" x 20" and comes with a gallery style frame.




Have a great Friday and thanks for stopping by!

My First Mixed Media Art - In Print!

I'm so excited to be able to share that my first mixed media art project has been published! It's a pair of Halloween Witch (cute - not scary!) wall hangings.



They are in the October 2011 issue of Craft n Things on page 70.




They are both 8" x 8" on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.



I used a variety of things from my scrapbook stash. Complete instructions for both are in the October issue.



They were so much fun to make. I'm thinking about putting them up for sale in my Etsy store soon - that is if I don't sell them locally. I'll post a link here if I list them (which will be soon). Thanks for stopping by today.

Children's Art Class

I taught an art class for children last week at the gallery. I haven't done that in years and for three years my daughter kept telling me to. The local newspaper came out and took photos. Here is the link to the slideshow.

Art with Melanie Douthit

Thanks for stopping by!