Inspiration

New Picture book ~ The Claddagh Fairy

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

This week I published a children’s picture book called The Claddagh Fairy. Look how cute she is!

The Claddagh Fairy by Eileen McKenna Children's Picture Book Irish Ireland St. Patrick's Day
Order the claddagh Fairy

Book Description: Anna’s Grandpa gives her an Irish Claddagh ring. He sends her a jewelry box from Ireland with a fairy inside. Anna’s ring brings the fairy to life and teaches Anna an important lesson about friendship, loyalty and love. This illustrated picture book will delight children as they learn about Anna’s grandpa’s homeland Ireland and the meaning of the Irish Claddagh ring.

I created the artwork and wrote the book back in 2014 but for some reason I stalled. That was 10 years ago! If I had to guess, I probably lost confidence in myself. After that, anytime I have had extended time off I’ve added The Claddagh Fairy to my to list. But for 10 years I kept pushing it to the back burner. It was at the top of my list – yet again – but I told my friend Connie I wasn’t going to work on it. For not the first time, Connie said, “You really should publish it. It’s all done!” We all need a friend like that!

That afternoon I went home, pulled The Claddagh Fairy out, made a few slight edits and ordered a draft on Amazon’s KDP site. When I got my draft, I made some tweaks to the artwork and after, 10 years, finally clicked publish!

The Claddagh Fairy is special to me because it is inspired by my grandpa, Michael Dennehy. We called him Grampa. Grampa was the sweetest grandpa, with the cutest brogue. He was from County Cork, Ireland. I spent a lot of afternoons with him as he told me silly stories of characters with names like Nan Pike and Patsy Galoop. He passed away when I was in high school and I still miss him.

Order the claddagh Fairy

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One Brush, Three Colors and done!

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I just finished this painting. I did the entire painting in one sitting with three colors and one big brush. It felt so good to have an idea, follow through and finish. Recently my creative practice has been sporadic. A lot of the creative things I do are tied to work or school. Did I tell you I’m back in school?! I just finished my first year in a Masters in Art Education program. But still, excuses, excuses. 

Acrylic ocean seascape blue gray day

I’ve been ecstatic about this painting since I finished it – which got me thinking. Things are slowing down a bit for summer. This small canvas is so doable. Maybe I could commit to doing one a week? I always do well with a goal and a plan, especially if I do some art supply shopping to motivate me. 

Summer is about 10 weeks, so I’ll aim for 10 canvases but the real goal is to paint every week. I need to take stock of my supplies and make a list. Then it’s a trip to the art store – fun!

I need to remember to be open to inspiration. The painting above was inspired by a recent walk on the beach. That’s my favorite way to work – capturing inspiration when it strikes and painting it.

Any summer creative goals? I’d love to hear!

three color palette for acrylic seascape

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Your Creative Journey is like Candyland 🍭🍬

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Sunrise by Eileen McKenna - Acrylic on Canvas
Sunrise by Eileen McKenna – Acrylic on Canvas

I’ve always thought about creativity as a journey not a destination. I sometimes visualize it as the Candyland board game, where there are stopping points, like the Peppermint forest. The creative journey stopping points are subjects and mediums. Mine were things like seascapes, linocut carving, surface pattern design.

Remember in Candyland, those “shortcuts” where you jump ahead on the board? They remind me of times of growth when you notice a big change in skills or technique. I remember when I started using an ink pen on my watercolors and white gouache on my seascapes. It’s helpful to reflect and recognize the twists and turns and periods of growth in our journeys.

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We all start our creative journey with different skills and ideas at different stages of our lives but with similar thoughts. The thought may be the reemergence of a statement from our childhood, “I want to be an artist.” More likely, we tone down the dream in our minds. Mine started with, “I want to be able to draw something realistic.” A few years later after a few classes it was, “I want creativity to be a regular part of my life.” I wanted to explore all possibilities and find my “thing.”

After several years of sticking with my goal, and knowing what worked, I turned my journey into “Creative Exploration.” Follow the process in the book to add creativity to your life, and find the subjects and art mediums that excite YOU.

I was and am ecstatic that creativity is part of my daily life. I can’t believe over eight years ago I made such a big change. Who keeps a resolution for that long?!

It brings me so much joy. But I am not unique – Creativity is for everyone. “Talent” is just a starting point.

Start your creative journey today…

Learn more here!

Here’s what to do when it’s cold outside…

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Read by the Fire🔥

It’s 14 degrees out, but feels like 5! Lately, I’m snuggling up and reading a lot, including “Family Business” about life and crime in NYC’s Chinatown from the perspective of Detective Linda Chin.

“The Hunting Party” a modern Agatha Christie tale, about Oxford friends that takes place in the wilderness of Scotland. “Everyone’s Invited. Everyone’s a suspect.”

My work in "365 Days of Art" - Eileen McKenna
My work in “365 Days of Art” – Eileen McKenna

“365 Days of Art” – I’m having a lot of fun with the daily art exercises in this book. Great way to get your creativity flowing! 

If you are struggling with what to focus on, I just recommended a favorite to my friend, and I’ll recommend it to you – “The Crossroads of Should and Must.” I loved this book!

Learn more about all these books (and more favorites) here.
Stay warm!
Eileen

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Planting Fields Arboretum and Coe Hall

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Planting Fields Arboretum
Planting Fields Arboretum

Last Sunday, we visited the Planting Fields Arboretum and Coe Hall in Oyster Bay, Long Island.

Planting Fields Arboretum

The grounds are beautiful, we had visited last year, but this time we booked a tour of Coe Hall. It was so interesting. There are pieces of stained glass that originated in Anne Boleyn’s childhood home! And a weird light box in the bathroom that was an invention of Dr. Kellogg (like the cereal).

One of the things I loved the most, were the murals by William Chanler. One of Chanler’s original murals is in the breakfast room and depicts Buffalo in Wyoming, where the Coe family also resided. Chanler built up the layers of paint, giving the buffalo a 3D effect. He added gold metallic paint too. It’s really cool.

A replica of another Chanler mural is in Mai Coe’s bedroom. The mural is a silvery tropical scene of birds and palm trees. The most interesting part, is the fine layer of lace painted on top of it.

I also loved the dining room with tall windows on all three sides. That’s where some of the Anne Boleyn stained glass is. The beautiful candelabras were refracting the sunlight and creating rainbows all over the room.

Planting Fields Arboretum
Greenhouse Planting Fields Arboretum

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“LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!”

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I love the ocean, but I’m also fascinated with the sky. The colors at sunrise and sunset are unbelievable. Every morning when I enter the high school parking lot I’m greeted by a wide open view of the sun rising over the trees. It’s a great way to start the day.

When I look up at the sky, or down from an airplane window, I’m amazed at how the clouds remind me of the ocean. Sometimes there is so much movement and power, other times it’s calm. 

If you are struggle with the question of what to paint – just look up!

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https://mycreativeresolution.com/2020/09/18/14-creative-fall-project-ideas/

Setting yourself up for Creative Success

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I’m excited for Inktober, excited to get back to daily creativity. I’ve adjusted to my new work schedule and am ready to fit drawing and painting in. This is how I’m setting myself up for a successful October and how you can too!

Inktober check off calendar – Eileen McKenna

Organize your supplies. I’ve selected the tools I’ll be using for daily ink drawings – a sketchbook that isn’t great with watercolor but the smooth white pages are perfect for ink. I have enough pages left for all of October plus a few warmup pages. I even dated all the pages to make sure. And I have my favorite ink pen ready – a Uniball signo.

Find something or someone to hold you accountable. I printed a small calendar for daily checking off. I plan on posting my daily work on Instagram. When we feel we have to check in with someone or something (like social media) it helps keep us on track.

Schedule creative time. Pick the time of day you plan on creating. For me it’s early morning before work. It’s a nice relaxing way to start the day. If something gets in the way, I can always catchup later in the day.

“Creative Exploration: A Six Week Process for Introducing Regular Creativity into your Life"
Creative Exploration: A Six Week Process for Introducing Regular Creativity into your Life”

Make a plan. The more detailed your plan the better. I recommend in my book Creative Exploration that you start simple – pencil and paper. Each week after that you can try out different mediums. I’m participating in Inktober so I’ll be using an ink pen. When the mood strikes I’ll add watercolor. The benefit of some kind of plan is to prevent you from either not sitting down to create because you don’t know what to do or from sitting down and not having any direction. In Creative Exploration I recommend keeping a running list of subject ideas to refer to when you need it.

Find a creative space. Having a designated creative space makes a big difference. Years ago I took over our dining table and leave my supplies out. It makes sitting down to create so easy. No setup needed. Sometimes when I want to get back in the zone, I spend time organizing my supplies and space. By the time I’m done, I’m so ready to get to work!

Be kind to yourself. No one is perfect. Missing a day here or there isn’t the end of the world. Forgive yourself and pick up your pen or paints the next day. Don’t let one day turn into a week.

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October is Inktober

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Let’s Get Excited for Inktober by Eileen McKenna

When I think of October I think of Fall colors and black ink lines. October is InkTober! For several years I’ve participated in Inktober, a daily challenge to create in ink. In the early years of my participation, I was a purest, only drawing in ink. But it’s hard for me to stay away from my watercolors for a whole month! In more recent years I’ve blended the two – creating fall themed illustrations with ink outlines using my favorite ink pen.

Inktober illustration by Eileen McKenna

There are optional Inktober prompts – which I don’t follow. Prompts are great, but I prefer to paint what inspires me. There are tons of creative challenges online. It doesn’t matter which one you follow or if you follow all the “rules.” The point of these challenges is to inspire and motivate us to create more regularly.

I’m adjusting to my new work schedule and am ready to fit in daily creativity – so Inktober comes at the perfect time for me. What about you? Are you ready for Inktober?!

Learn more:

Learn more about Inktober
find out where I met the creator of Inktober,
and read my Inktober supply checklist:

just click here!

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Savoring Summer

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Painting summer. Watercolor sketchbook.

I originally planned to write about looking towards fall, but after scrolling through my photos I was inspired to paint a seascape and sunset. Thankfully, even though we are away, I had my supplies with me and some time to sit and paint. I haven’t painted enough lately and it felt SO GOOD.

In NY the weather has been spectacular. Without the oppressive heat and humidity we’ve had some beautiful “top notch” beach days. And what’s more inspiring than standing in the surf watching the waves roll in?

Soon enough the blue, green and brown color palette will be replaced with red, orange and yellow. For now I’m holding on to summer a bit longer.

Summer inspiration – standing in the ocean watching the waves roll in.

Seascape Painting Lessons in pdf or video format

Watercolor seascape PDF tutorial
Watercolor seascape video lesson