Blog Glitch & New Website

Well...looks like something went wrong with my blog. I'm not even sure what happened! On top of that, life has gotten very, VERY busy. Fixing my blog may have to go on the back burner for awhile. So if you're popping by to look at my blog & it looks all wonky, know that once upon a time it actually looked beautiful & hopefully in the next couple of weeks it will be back to it's beautiful self.

On a happier note, I now have a website. So in the mean time, come take a peek & tell me what you think.

New Gothic Photography

Well, hello everyone! While I'm enjoying the last of my morning coffee, I thought I'd pop by with some updates. Finally....a post from me. Can you believe it? I'm a horrible blogger. As much as I'd like to change that sometimes, life gets in the way. I'm still living with CFS/FM & trying to learn how to manage it better so I have more balance in my life. Pacing myself seems to help a lot & I'm getting to work in the studio more. Plus, my husband took a second job, so the goal I made for myself is when he's working, I'm working in the studio. Lots of activity in the garden right now harvesting & canning. I grew my own tomatillos this year to make salsa verde. Turned out absolutely fantastic! Next year I'm planting a lot more. That's for sure! It's time to start thinking about Halloween too! Getting the house decorated & finding a great costume! This is my favorite time of year & the busiest too!

I've been updating my blog, my Facebook page, redoing my Etsy shop. Right now I'm filling my Etsy shop with lots of new Gothic art perfect for Halloween! Here's a couple of peeks at some of the photography I've been doing.

So, that's about all for now. Time for me to get on with the day. Lots of things to do! In addition to my Facebook studio page, you can also subscribe to me now on Facebook. Pop by & say hi! Have a beautiful Autumn!

Showing at Calypsos Coffee

Life happens fast...one day I'm in Montana at Quinn's Hot Springs, the next day I get a phone call to hang my art in a local coffee shop. How cool is that? It was a bit of a scramble to pull everything together on such short notice, but with Tony's help it all came together. I've never had my art hang in a coffee shop, so this is a first for me. I'm excited about it!

My photography and oil paintings are hanging at Calypsos Coffee, now through April 14th. Head down there, get a cup of great coffee and enjoy some art!

My Etsy Shop Grand Opening!

After three years of snags, snafus, and health glitches, I am so thrilled to finally have my Etsy shop up and running! To celebrate I'm offering 10% off today through the end of February. Just pop on over to my Etsy shop or my Facebook page to get the coupon code. Right now you'll find some of my favorite photos listed. In the near future I'll be listing prints of my paintings, postcards, & a few other little lovelies that are sure to delight you. Please stay tuned & check back often!

Raw Space Art Show

I'm very excited to share with you that I will be taking part in this years Raw Space event during the Spokane Visual Arts Tour, February 4th - 6th.

This will be the first time I've shown at Raw Space. I'm very much looking forward to the adventure of it all! I could only enter two pieces to show, which was very difficult! But, I finally narrowed it down to a couple of my new photographs, which I just picked up from Camera Corral yesterday. They look great! I can't wait to see what they will look like framed...that's the plan for today.

There are 110 artists participating this year, showing two pieces each. That's a lot of art! I'm excited to see it myself! This years event will be taking place at Pacific Bridge Development, 32 W. Second Avenue.

Exhibition times are: Opening Reception is Friday, 5:00pm - 9pm. Saturday, 10:00am - 5:00pm and
Sunday, noon - 4:00pm.

From the Spokane Arts Department: "Spokane Art Supply, Pacific Bridge Development and the Spokane Arts Commission present “Raw Space,” a popular non-juried community art exhibit as part of the upcoming Spokane Visual Arts Tour. This newest installment of Raw Space, a temporary gallery project located in vacant buildings and storefronts, will take place on the first floor of the Pacific Bridge Development, 32 W. Second Avenue."

Manic Moon Studios Holiday Art Show

Hi Everyone! Bet you wondered where I went. LOL Well, I'm back!!! My jewelry is being shown as part of a holiday art show opening on First Friday in Spokane, WA at Manic Moon Studios, 1625 N. Monroe Street, below the Lillian Con Antique Gallery. Click on graphic below for more info.

See? Something new!

Finally...inspiration! Yaaaayyyyyy!!! This is something kinda new for me. I'm playing with acrylics on canvas with no stretcher bars....so I guess it's more like a wall hanging...or a door hanging in this case. It's actually a mixed media piece as I'm using dry pastels, paint, stamps, ink, collage, beads, charms, & fibers. This is the first little do dah from my new series I'm working on. It's titled, "Gift For A Friend"...OK, you got me...I don't have a great name for it, but it is a gift for a friends birthday. So this one is already spoken for, but there's more to come so stay tuned!

Well That's Cool!

Got this in my email today. It's from Schmap.

Hi Karmen,

I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo
has been selected for inclusion in the newly released sixth
edition of our Schmap Seattle Guide:

It's for Volunteer Park

Here's the picture. It's of the conservatory at Volunteer Park in Seattle WA. It's from our family vacation there in August.

New Jewelry

This is one thing I've been up to lately...I've been taking my art & turning it into jewelry by sandwiching it between glass & soldering it around the edges. Then I put 'em on a ball chain. These are the first two. Stay tuned to see what else I come up with...now where's that soldering iron????

Artsy Cards

These are card sets of my art & photographs. I mounted the photographs with those old fashioned looking black paper photo corners...that way the photo can be removed & reused or framed. I left them blank inside for folks to personalize. Then I wrapped them up in a 12x12 sheet of paper, put a black with white polka dot ribbon around it with a sticker on the front that has the description & pictures of the cards inside. They look so pretty all sitting together! These will be going to The Artist's Tree for the month of December. The next batch will go to my Etsy shop.

Catching Up...

I've not kept things up here very well. I've been playing on my Karny Life blog. So I'm updating things with some posts over at Karny Life. Hey, why not stop by Karny Life & get the inside scoop on what I've been up to ;)

So what have I been up to? Mainly cleaning & organizing the studio, but I do have a few lovelies to share. Let's start with my business package:

The Funky Fairy Shoppe Logo

This is my newest graphic design job. It's a logo I created for The Funky Fairy Shoppe.

First Friday: December 5th

I stopped by The Artist's Tree yesterday & now I'm going to be a part of First Friday on December 5th. There will be a lot of other local artists there as well. First Friday is an event where all the galleries in downtown Spokane are open in the evening...there's usually food & beverages & folks wonder from gallery to gallery. This will kick off the holiday shopping season so come by, say hi & buy local this year!

The Artist's Tree Gallery is located at 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Downtown Spokane, WA, across the street from the Davenport Hotel.

Featured In Newsletter!

The wonderful folks at Reaching Out thought that my story would be inspirational for others so they did a feature article on me & my art & put it on their front page! Their newsletter gets placed in doctors offices & emailed all over the world, so I'm pretty thrilled & honored that they would do this!

From the Reaching Out Newsletter:

"Karmen Naccarato, one of our awesome Outties, just had an amazing thing happen. I want to share her words so you can understand what a great thing this is for her & her fight with FM/CFS/ME:

The series is titled, "New Beginnings". The images are based on my own personal experience of being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) & Fibromyalgia (FM)...finding the courage to live with it.... and after 8 years, regaining enough wellness to finally feel alive again. Rather than focusing on the difficult times and dealing with the challenges of living with CFS & FM, I chose to focus on courage, hope and the power of positive thinking. The creative act of painting this series was also very helpful in my healing process.”

Karmen's show has been a smash hit! In fact, it's been so successful, Michelle Mokrey, innovative owner of, "The Artist's Tree", has extended the show & placed Karmen's work in a more prominent place. We also want to thank Karmen from the bottom of our hearts because she is donating a percentage of her sales to Reaching Out! What an amazing artist AND person! So help us pay tribute to this courageous & talented lady by checking out her work which we've spread out through this issue. You can also see her complete collection of works &/or purchase it at: www.moonwillowstudio.blogspot.com. Congrats, mon ami, we love you!"

What an amazing group of people they are! Their support has made a big difference in how I've lived with CFS & FM. Their kind words touched my heart & reaffirms just how far I've come. Thank you Reaching Out! {{{HUGS}}}

To learn more about Reaching Out or CFS/FM/ME visit their webstie: http://www.reaching-out.info

Art Show Update

The show is now officially over BUT the gallery owner decided to keep my paintings longer & we moved my paintings to the window display. Soooooo....if you missed the show you can still catch a peek of my paintings in the window.

As for opening night, It went really well! Several friends came to cheer me on, which is always a really great thing. I met & talked to a lot of people I didn't know...got some really good feedback...and sold a painting. How cool is that? AND I've decided to give 10% of the proceeds of this series to Reaching Out, an organization that helps those living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia. I feel that is neccessary to pay it forward...that the blessings I recieve should carry on to someone else. So I have to say that it's been a very exciting experience in many many ways!

Now for the thank you's! A BIG thank you to Michele for believing in my work enough to give me a show & making a dream of mine come true! Also I have to thank my husband, Tony, for his love, support, & pacients. Tony helped with every little thing & put up with me! LOL Thank you to my daughter who cheered me on all along the way & to see her so proud of me meant the world to me. I can't forget my parents, my family & my friends...their encouragement & support has kept me going & has been so touching. They were just so excited...made me feel like a rockstar! LOL They make me feel like I can do anything! And of course, thank you to everyone who took the time to go check out my work! I feel so blessed! So thank you, thank you, thank you!

And here's a picture of me :)

New Beginnings: July 2008

This series is titled, "New Beginnings". The images are based on my own personal experience of being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) & Fibromyalgia (FM)...finding the courage to live with it...& after 8 years, regaining enough wellness to finally feel alive again. Rather than focusing on the difficult times & dealing with the challenges of living with CFS & FM I chose to focus on courage, hope, & the power of positive thinking. The creative act of painting this series was also very helpful in my healing process.

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Downtown Spokane, WA, across the street from the Davenport Hotel.

(It is estimated that between 1 and 4 million Americans suffer from CFS & 6 to 8 million people in the United States suffer from FM. More information & resources for CFS & FM can be found at www.reaching-out.info)

Now What Do I Do?

24 x 30 Oil on canvas. Here you are...stuck....nothing moving...nothing flowing...trapped...ridgid. At first the situation may seem impossilbe. A feeling of fear may creep in causing panic. Pause for a moment...take a deep breath...and look again. This is just the beggining...the beggining of something amazing...even if you don't know what that is, right now in this moment. Take heart, have faith, and trust that things are working out for your highest good. Your future is an adventure just waiting for you to discover it!

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Copyright 2008 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved. Any use or reproduction of the items in part or in whole, in any form or by any means, including photographic, electronic, digital, or mechanical, is forbidden without the prior written permission of the Artist.

Beauty & Magick Are Born In Secret Places

12 x 12 oil on canvas. Beauty & magick are born in secret places...discover them...they are within you. Take time for prayer & solitude...look within...be still...breathe...listen to that quiet voice within you...search for your inner personal magick & then follow your heart. You are stronger than you may think. There's a new life waiting for you. It is filled with many possibilities, adventures, & suprises!

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Copyright 2008 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved. Any use or reproduction of the items in part or in whole, in any form or by any means, including photographic, electronic, digital, or mechanical, is forbidden without the prior written permission of the Artist.

Divine The First Time...Divine Every Time: Sold

12 x 12 Oil on canvas. Remember your original self...You were spirit & spirit lives in a state of perfection. You were Divine. Now that spirit is within your body & it is still perfect & still Divine. Go within to the core of your being...feel the perfection of the Divine within you...really feel that within your body & remember. You are perfect & Divine right now, just as you are. The Divine is working in your life for your highest good. You are blessed by the stars above. You are magick!

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Copyright 2007 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved. Any use or reproduction of the items in part or in whole, in any form or by any means, including photographic, electronic, digital, or mechanical, is forbidden without the prior written permission of the Artist.

Sparkle & Shine Under The Moonlight

12 x 12 Oil on canvas. Dance & twirl in the moonlight...with eyes wide open looking into the future. The Moon watches from above as she sprinkles star blessings down upon you. Sparkle! Shine! Be amazing! Live fully everyday. Dreams & Wishes do come true!

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Copyright 2008 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved. Copyright 2008 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved. Any use or reproduction of the items in part or in whole, in any form or by any means, including photographic, electronic, digital, or mechanical, is forbidden without the prior written permission of the Artist.

The Magick Of Tomorrow Is In The Air

16 x 20 Oil on canvas, framed. Today is a new day...this day is full of potential, possibilities, & new begginings. Be Inspired! Come alive! Be open to new opportunities. Peace. Tranquility. Wholeness. Wellness. Calm. The Sun shining bright, blessing you with it's warmth. Bloom. Grow. Become all that you are meant to be & more. Believe in the magick of you. The future is bright!

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Copyright 2008 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved.

Under A Blue Moon...Wishes Do Come True

16 x 20 Oil on canvas, black wood frame. Blue Moon's only happen once in a while...it is a magickal time to dream big dreams & make wishes...wishes that come from your heart...from deep within the peaceful center of yourself. Under the light of a Blue Moon...your dreams & wishes will come true.

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Copyright 2008 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved. Any use or reproduction of the items in part or in whole, in any form or by any means, including photographic, electronic, digital, or mechanical, is forbidden without the prior written permission of the Artist.

This Is The Beginning

24 x 30, oil on canvas. As one journey ends, another begins. Embracing the beauty & magick of YOU...moving forward to the next chapter of your life. Is that excitment you feel? Or are you nervous? Maybe it's a little bit of both...Take a deep breath...Go Within...Listen... Let your heart be your guide...Let go...& Trust...This is the beggining of something amazing...You have no idea what's in store for you...but one thing is certain...Many wonderful adventures & suprises are in store! It's a whole new world! Embrace it! Live with Passion!

Showing July 9-26, 2008 at The Artist's Tree Gallery, 828 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Copyright 2008 Karmen Naccarato. All rights reserved. Any use or reproduction of the items in part or in whole, in any form or by any means, including photographic, electronic, digital, or mechanical, is forbidden without the prior written permission of the Artist.

Geisha Magick: NFS

Geisha Collage Charm with wine colored fresh water pearls, faceted garnet beads, vintage pink beads (from one of my grandmothers necklaces), glass beads, & metal charms.

Studio Remodel

Currently my husband & I are remodeling the studio. How did this come about? Well, we were sitting out in the studio on Christmas night...talking about what we wanted for the studio in 2008...One thing led to another (like it always does)...We decided to put in a wall to make a small office space separate from the studio. (This means that the room our office is in now will become a 'guest' bedroom...which actually means I get my own bedroom...Now this is due to the little known fact that my wonderful hubby SNORES very very LOUD...so there are times I end up on the couch with a kink in my neck. I'm tired of the kink in my neck, thus the 'guest' bedroom was born.) My husband is out there painting the office right now. Once all the painting is done, we're moving on to a new floor & then replacing the windows & doors. Even though the studio is in complete chaos, new art IS being created! I can't wait to show you the studio & all the lovely things I've been up to! Until then, here's a sneak peek at the work going on. OH! I should also mention at this point, that my husband is a really great guy & is SOOOOO supportive. I couldn't do any of this without him...Well I guess I could, but I'd have to hire someone. So a BIG thank you to him! Here he is hard at work. Stay tuned to see the finished project!

17" Moonstone Necklace

Moonstone Pendant set in Silver, Amethyst,

Aurora Borealis faceted Czech beads,

Metal beads.

16.5" Bohemian Necklace: Sold

Turquoise, Amber, Coconut,

Wood, Myrrh, Bali Silver,

Metal Beads & Charm.

17" Shell Necklace

Turquoise, Garnet, Amber,

Myrrh, Wood, Shell.

December 2007 - April 2008 at
The Artist's Tree
828 West Sprague Ave.
Spokane, Washington.

18" GreenMoon Necklace

Raku Face, Turquoise, Garnet,

Amber, Amethyst, Wood.

December 2007 - April 2008
at The Artist's Tree

828 West Sprague Ave.

Spokane, Washington.

27" Necklace

Turquoise, Amethyst, Myrrh,

Metal, Glass.

December 2007 - April 2008 at
The Artist's Tree

828 West Sprague Ave.

Spokane, Washington

Starry Night Goddess Doll

Fabric, Fibers, Wood, Metal Charm.
Now available at The Artist's Tree

828 West Sprague Ave.

Spokane, Washington

Awakening Goddess Doll

Fabric, Fibers, Wood, Metal Charm.
Now available at The Artist's Tree

828 West Sprague Ave.

Spokane, Washington

Inspiration Goddess Doll

Fabric, Fibers, Wood, Metal Charm.
Now available at The Artist's Tree

828 West Sprague Ave.

Spokane, Washington

Live Life Goddess Doll: Sold

Live Life Passionately!

Fabric, Fibers, Wood, Metal Charm.

The Artist's Tree
828 West Sprague Ave.
Spokane, Washington

Halloween at MoonWillow Studio

Just a few pictures of our home this Halloween season. This is my absolute favorite holiday! It's almost an obession, really. I've been collecting Halloween everything for the last seven years...I have tubs & tubs in storage & have dedicated display space in my home for my favorites year round. I start thinking about Halloween in July...yes, July...but I actually start decorating the 1st of September so everything will be decorated by October 1st. This way I have a whole month to enjoy it. My birthday is in October too so guess what we do...Yep, we have a Halloween party! This year our home was filled to capacity with friends & family & I was dubbed The Queen of Halloween. LOL By this time next year I hope to have a whole line of Halloween art & fine crafts available. So please check back now & then to see what I've been up to. Until then, have a wee peek of my favorite obesssion.

Have a magical Halloween!

Mystic Tree: Sold

Oil, charcoal & pencil on canvas.

DIVINE

DIVINE: Divine the first time. Divine every time.

Oil on canvas. 12 x12

Showing July 5th through Sept. 1st, 2007

at the Microcosm Gallery in New York
www.microcosmgallery.com

Moon Blessings

Available for purchase in my Cafe' Press Shop:

http://www.cafepress.com/moonblessings

Sun Blessings

Available for purchase in my Cafe' Press Shop:

http://www.cafepress.com/sunblessings

Creative Force of the Goddess: Sold

Mixed Media Collage on canvas.

New Begginings

Raven WingedHeart Logo

Raven Heart Doll: Sold

Hand beaded fabric raven doll with feathers & charms.

16" Moonstone Necklace:Sold

Moonstone pendant set in Silver,

Aurora Borealis faceted Czech beads,

Amethyst beads & chips, Metal beads.

Goddess Charms Necklace: Sold

New & vintage charms on an amethyst & wire chain.

Raven Goddess Necklace: Sold

Clay Goddes & Raven beads, Amethyst, Russian Jade, Metal.

Moon Goddess Necklace: Sold

Amethyst, Garnet, & Fresh Water Pearls with a carved bone Moon pendant set in sivler.

Fairy Wishes

Blue Fairy Necklace: Sold

Amethyst, Chalcedony pendant, Metal beads,

Czech beads with Aurora Borealis finish.

Shell Goddess Necklace: Sold

Raw turquoise & garnet stone beads, clay beads, & wood beads that have been hand burned with designs, with large shell pendant.

Raven Heart Neclace: Sold

Clay Raven beads, Faceted Russian Jade Heart pendant & beads, Amethyst, Metal.

Goddess Awareness Faire Art

Used on all promotional materials for the Goddess Awareness Faire. Also used on t-shirts, coffee mugs, & other products in their Cafe' Press Store.

Original photos used were provided by Phoenix Springwater.

Celestial Sisters Logo

Karma Acorn Logo

Struggle

Mixed Media On Paper

The End To A Beautiful Day

Oil on gessoed paper

Student Art Show Poster

Faded Memories 2

Black & White Photograph

Faded Memories

Black & White Photograph

My Box

Mixed Media Collage

Depression

Prince Charming: Sold

Mixed Media Collage On Canvas

Me, Myself, & Eye

Oil on canvas

Look Out

Oil On Canvas

Baby Doll

Found Object Sculpture