Sunday, February 1, 2015

Foxes, snowflakes, & Southern Comfort. How to WIN FREE ARTWORK on Valentine's Day!!!!

How to WIN FREE artwork this Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I'd do something a little fun this year and giveaway some FREE ARTWORK.  2 winners are guaranteed, with a possibility of 3 winners.



More details about the giveaway toward the end of this week's blog.

In continuing this weekly series of featuring my older works, before beginning to release new paintings in March, it's very appropriate that "Winter Wonderland" came up in the rotation this close to Valentine's Day.  This week's featured painting was created with Michel in mind, based on the first time he and I met.  It's a story I get to tell often, but the following version has a lot more detail than anyone has ever heard.


I've fallen in love with someone at first sight exactly twice in my life, Michel being the second time.  Michel and I didn't meet until 2009, but our story begins 5 years before in 2004, with the first time I experienced a love at first sight phenomena.  Which began a series of events that led to me arriving at a bus station in Quebec City 5 years later, to go on a double date.

Growing up, my family owned a store in Jerome, AZ, and I started working there when I was 6 years old.  By the time I could drive, I was pretty much running the business, and had become rather indispensable to its operation.  It began as a rock and mineral store, but over the 26 years my family owned the store, it changed a lot, due in large part to the art and jewelry I began making in larger and larger quantities, and with me running the store, my parents were able to travel and bring back fun things for the store.

Being raised behind a retail counter had its good and bad points.  Good in that it started me in a creative endeavor.  I learned how to do really simple jewelry making and crafting skills as a child, and have built on those since, as well as learning a broader range of skills.  I've also gotten a hands on education of business management and how to do visually awesome retail displays, as we had two big picture windows at the store that I got to redecorate periodically, and the inventory changed often.
Matted 5x7 "Winter Wonderland"

The negative side of being raised behind a counter, I didn't get much in the way of free time outside of school, as I was always running the store.  Socially I was extremely stunted, and grew to prefer talking to people with a retail counter between us.  Mostly these people were tourists, who I would only ever talk to once, so it was basically a life of having the same small talk conversations with up to half a million people a year.

I started working on changing that in my late 20s, and tried to make myself go out and meet people, quickly discovering I had quite a large social anxiety problem, which seemed odd to me, considering how many people I would deal with at the store, but without the "power" of the retail counter, I just couldn't do it.  I started developing something similar to agoraphobia as well, where other than going to work, I would have to work up the courage to even leave my house to do things like grocery shopping, or checking the mailbox.  After many failed attempts at trying to become social, I stumbled onto chat rooms, making several chat buddies that turned into real life friends, and I started leaving my house more and more.  During this time, I decided I needed to do more with my life, see more of the world and such, as I had spent nearly all of it up to that point working behind a counter.  I told my family what I wanted, and we decided to put the business up for sale, as my family felt they couldn't run the store without me.
Matted 8x10 "Winter Wonderland"

I started traveling a little, mostly within Arizona at first, as I hadn't really been anywhere in Arizona, much less the world.  Worked on several projects I had been putting off for years.  Met more people, slowly started making more friends, but I continued to chat online.  I ended up meeting someone online that I had a lot of fun chatting with, and went on my first date ever when I was 29.  When you see young kids figuring out how to date, doing all sorts of awkward things, it kind of cute.  When you see a 29 year old doing them, it borders on downright sad.  We dated for 3 months, but it just didn't work out.

A few months later, I met another guy online, Mitch, and when I saw his picture for the first time, it was love at first sight.  We got along great in chat, and ended up meeting in person, where it was still just as great.  After 6 months of trying to date, we decided being friends was all we were going to be able to make happen, as we just weren't ever able to make it work otherwise:  busy lives, different goals, different stages in our lives, but we remained great friends.  He was even supposed to be the best man at my wedding, but had to drop out as he was invited to appear at a comicon with his artwork, and wouldn't be able to make it to Quebec.
Matted 11x14 "Winter Wonderland"

Now this is where the story of how I met Michel begins.  Shortly after Mitch and I stopped trying to date, I was out with a bunch of friends, barhopping around Flagstaff, and we were all having too good of a time to end just because the bars were closing,  so we continued on with an impromptu house party.  One of my friends, Joe, had recently become single, and I had been the designated driver all night, so when we all arrived at our friend's house, a bottle of Southern Comfort was opened.  A large part of which was shared between Joe and I.  Fast forward to the next morning, we both woke up on the floor, hungover and cuddled together for warmth and both pretty much went "huh....".  We started dating right there and then and were together for 2.5 years.  It was for the most part a great relationship, but he had a bit of a jealous streak.

I started Dizzybear Creations shortly after Joe and I started dating, so I was working at home.  With no coworkers, spending the day all alone, I would often get on the computer and chat a bit during work breaks.  One person I continued to chat with often was Mitch.  Joe had heard many stories about Mitch and I, and didn't like me chatting with him, but instead of saying "I dont like you chatting with Mitch", he said "I'm not comfortable with you chatting with local guys....  I'm afraid one of them is going to try and steal you away."  To which I laughed, until I realized he was serious.  The solution I came up with, since I didn't want to give up chatting, was to find people from foreign countries to chat with, which he liked the idea of.

Joe and I ended up parting due to school taking him back to Maryland, and life continued on for both of us.  He with school and work, myself with getting Dizzybear Creations up and going so I could stop working construction, which I started doing part time after the store in Jerome was sold.  During my work breaks, I continued to chat with people from all over the world, including a guy from Montreal named JF.  After chatting with him for over three years, he asked if he could come see me during some vacation time he needed to use up.  I thought it would be fun, so he came down for about a week.  I showed him around Northern AZ, we went briefly into Southern CA, it was a fun visit.  We got along well enough that he asked me to come see him up in Montreal, which I did a few months later, arriving in the early part of December, and ended up staying a month.

Bus Station in Quebec City
The first time I met Michel
JF had to work a good deal of the time I was in Montreal, but he did show me around when he could.  I would explore the city on my own when he was working.  The day after Christmas in 2009 though, he arranged to meet up with his best friend in Quebec City who had recently started dating a guy, and the four of us were going to run around the historic part of the city.

The two of them had arrived in Quebec City before us, so when JF and I arrived they were waiting for us in the great big, beautiful bus station there.  JF saw his friend, and as we walked towards them, this really handsome guy turned away from the Big Buck Hunter video game he was playing, holding an orange colored shotgun, and wearing a knitted fox hat.  I was so taken by the sight of him, that I told him not to move and took his picture before I was even introduced to him.  This of course was Michel.  The second, and biggest, love at first sight I've ever experienced.

Me in the blizzard 
Michel on playground equipment in a blizzard
JF and his best friend were so busy catching up that they spent most of the weekend talking to each other, and mostly in French, so I didn't get to join in on that conversation much, as I didn't speak a word of French at the time.  Being left out of that conversation, I tried striking up conversation with Michel.  He was a bit shy, which made me want to try even harder to talk to him.  He was goofy, silly, had an infectious smile and laugh, I was completely taken by him.  Even more so seeing him play in the snow like a big kid.  A bit of a blizzard blew in, visibility was way down, but there was Michel climbing to the top of playground equipment.  It was a amazing weekend exploring the city.

Michel and I were both dating other people, so I knew it wasn't likely to go anywhere, but I had a feeling he'd be in my life somehow.  We became great friends, and hung out from time to time whenever I was in Montreal.  JF and I ended up parting after a year and a half of dating, long distance relationships are really tough, and I ended up losing touch with Michel.  I vowed to never be in another long distance relationship, and started putting more energy into further building my business, getting my jewelry and artwork into more stores, and went on with life.

Michel and I at the Grand Canyon
I was staying really busy with work, but continued to chat with people all over the world during work breaks.  One day, during a quick coffee break, Michel appeared online on facebook, which had never happened before.  I hadn't talked to him in probably 6 months, so I said hello.  He had gotten a new phone and it had facebook installed.  Luckily he hadn't figured out the settings yet, and didn't know his status showed as being online.  We started chatting and after a couple of months of chatting often, he asked if he could come spend some of his vacation time with me.  Canadians get a lot more vacation time than do most people in the US.

Michel climbing out of the Grand Canyon
We spent 10 days road tripping all over Northern Arizona, visited the Grand Canyon, parts of Southern California, and went to Las Vegas.  One of the most fun, fast paced, road trips I've ever been on.  He went back to Montreal, and I kind of figured I'd probably never see him again, as he was dating someone, which made me sad.  His relationship was already having issues but ended shortly after he got back.  We chatted more and more, and it turned out the feelings I had towards him were mutual.

Three months later he came and stayed with me for 6 months.  And then I followed him back to Montreal for 6 months, which is when I painted the 16 paintings.  There's been a lot of back and forth between Arizona and Montreal.  In October of 2013, on the 2nd anniversary of our first date, we were married in Saint Come, Quebec, and hopefully in a few months the immigration paperwork will be done and Michel will finally be able to come to Arizona and stay.  Long distance relationships are tough, even more so when there's immigration issues.  We both cant wait for him to get here.

Me at the Grand Canyon
I've mentioned in a previous blog, that most people think "The Duel" represents Michel and I, but in actuality, the the 9th painting I painted in that 6 month visit to Montreal: "Winter Wonderland" is the only painting I've done (so far) that purposely features a representation of us.  In original sketches, the bus station in Quebec City is in the background, but it is such a beautiful building that I felt it was overpowering.  Also in the original sketches, the skeleton man was to wear the fox hat, the snowman the top hat, but ever since being in that blizzard when I met Michel, and seeing him play in the snow, I cant think of, or see snow, without thinking of him.  Or foxes for that matter, because of the hat he was wearing.  So a snowman wearing a fox hat just seemed to be a perfect representation.

There's less recognizable symbolization in the skeleton man being me though.  I do love top hats, but dont often get chances to wear one (I would wear one all the time if I could though).  I have a cape I made that I try and work into as many costumes as possible.  When I made it, it was for a Halloween party in 2003 that I forced myself to go to when I was first trying to get out and meet people, to be more social.  I went as a cloaked skeleton man.  That night was the first night I truly realized just how much social anxiety I had, but having the costume to sort of hide behind, helped a lot.  Every time I wear the cape, I think back on that night and smile that I was able to get through it.  The cape I made is a gunmetal black color, but in the original sketches I drew, it was too dark, so I changed it to emerald green, my favorite color. When I started painting though, I only got a couple of strokes of the green on, when I changed it to the deep red color you see, for more contrast against the blues, and because the painting was starting to take on a holiday feel anyways.  That’s my favorite part about painting, the paintings never finish as planned.  I’m always surprised by the end result.

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NOW FOR THE VALENTINE'S DAY

FREE ARTWORK GIVEAWAY DETAILS

There's will be TWO winners of FREE artwork in this giveaway.

(Possibly 3, keep reading)


To Enter:  Visit my facebook page and 
Share, "Like" and/or make a Comment on the giveaway post 
you'll find in the newsfeed.  It will look like this:



The giveaway will be a 
random drawing from all
the people who 
"Like", Comment on, 
or PUBLICLY Share
the giveaway post


"Like" the post = 1 Entry
Comment on Post = 2 Entries
Share* the contest post = 3 Entries

Total number of 

possible entries = 6


*IT HAS TO BE A PUBLIC SHARE, because the way facebook is set up, I wont be able to see that you shared the post, unless you have set it to be shared with the PUBLIC.


PRIZES

One winner will receive A FREE art print of any of my paintingsa FREE art print of "Winter Wonderland"
and a FREE limited edition Valentine's Day 2015 bookmark, pictured below.


A 2nd Winner will receive a FREE art print 
of "Winter Wonderland" 
and a FREE limited edition Valentine's Day 2015 bookmark, pictured below.



***POSSIBLE THIRD PRIZE***

Additionally, if at least 143 people participate and
"Like", Comment on, or Share the giveaway post, 
there will be THIRD name randomly drawn to win a 
 Valentine's Day Gift Mystery Box, 
So tell your friends to "Like", Comment on, and Share too!

Why 143?  
143 is a texting code meaning "I Love You." 
One letter in I,  Four in Love, and three in You. 

ALSO........


From now until February 13, 2015, 

ALL wedding themed art prints are on sale for up to 50% off.  



Prints of all the paintings shown here in this blog are available at the webstore <click here>. 

"Winter Wonderland" is on sale through Feb 13th and is available in 3 different sizes.

Thank you again for sharing my artwork/posts with friends that you think would like my artwork, on your social media accounts:  Facebook, twitter, blogger, pinterest, tumblr, ello....   

It is INCREDIBLY helpful in getting my artwork out in the world, and is greatly appreciated. 

As a little thank you to those who've been reading this blog, when I start releasing the paintings in the third week of March, I'll be beginning a trivia contest, asking questions that you'll be able to find the answers to in my blogs.  There will be more details coming in March. 

If you have any questions you'd like to ask that I can answer in a future blog, you can either post them in the comment section below, or send them to my email  dizzybear73@gmail.com  


All orders placed between now and February 14th will also receive a FREE Limited Edition Bookmark with their order. 





The weekly featured painting series will resume on February 16th with 2 paintings, "Mariachi Band" and "The Bullfighter"

Michel and I at Oceanside, arriving just in time for the sunset

Michel's first visit to Sedona
Reflections in Vegas
Playing tourist in San Diego

Michel at the Hoover Dam

Breakfast at the Hash House a Go Go



Fun night at Venice Beach

Edited:  The giveaway was originally to be a contest entitled "How I met my Valentine" and required people to post their stories of how they met their Valentine, (thus me posting my story of how I met Michel).  From the stories submitted, I would then pick my favorite on Valentine's Day to be the Grand Prize winner.  And a second prize drawn from the other entries.  It was proving to be too confusing a contest, so the contest with this giveaway instead.  Same prizes, just simpler methods in which to win them.  My apologies if anyone was writing their stories to submit.  You're welcome to still post your stories as comments on the Facebook post to enter the giveaway.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!
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