Hello there, I have something to share with you today. Did you know I am also an artist? It’s true! I’ve been drawing for almost as long as I’ve been thinking up stories. And after several years of loving and supporting other creators on Etsy, this year I decided to open my own shop. It’s called Love By Carlene and it’s growing every day. I’d be honored to introduce to you a little about my beloved shop:
About Me:
Hi! I’m Carlene Love Flores, owner and artist behind the Etsy shop, Love By Carlene. I love faces from around the world and have been drawing them for over 30 years. Etsy gave people like me an accessible and really fun platform to share our handmade items with the world. Honestly, I can’t believe I get to call myself “shop owner” in addition to quiet girl who likes to sketch faces. It’s a truly good life. I hope you’ll stop by and have a look around. Smile. (There is a fantastic summer sale running right now on everything in the shop. All prints are only $3! Bonus: Free Shipping. Even bigger smile.) Click HERE to visit Love By Carlene.
About My Art:
I love pencil sketching so very much. In my shop, you will find art prints of my original pieces. One of my favorites is called Xiaojun Venice Beach. I drew the original on August 25, 2023, about a week after global pop-band WayV visited LA for their first KCON. The sketch is based on one of their members, Xiaojun, who is enjoying a moment on the beach, but it was incredibly windy that day. As it turned out, WayV brought with them the very first ever hurricane to reach the shores of Southern California! Hurricane Hilary was a large and powerful Pacific hurricane that brought torrential rainfall and gusty winds to the Pacific Coast of Mexico, the Baja California Peninsula, and the Southwestern United States.
Maybe you can see how Xiaojun’s hair is blowing in the wind as he stands on the shore. Little did he know about the approaching storm. He was just there with his band, WayV, getting ready to perform for the first time in the United States at KCON LA. I tried to capture the beauty of that moment, wondering what were his thoughts as he stood looking out at the horizon, aware or unaware? The way I captured the wind in his hair reflects my personal art style of keeping things clean and simple. My hope is that by doing this, it leaves room for your imagination to enjoy the art in your own unique way.
Why I love selling on Etsy:
Many of us are customers first on Etsy and I want my customers to feel the same way I do each time I order something special and unique. I want them to smile as soon as their item arrives in their mailbox, anticipating unboxing and holding their treasure. My art style is simple because I like to leave room for the viewer’s imagination to make its way inside the piece. If I leave room in that way for them to add their own curiosity within something I have created…perfection!
How does my personal identity inspire my work on Etsy:
I am one single person. One part of a billion-strong. Yet I can be incredibly unique in my art. I am inspired by ALL. And so, I create for ALL. That is love. That is art.
Are there any other budding or shy artists or creators out there? In what way do you share your art/creations? Perhaps if you are looking for a place to start, give Etsy a try. If I can do it, then anyone can!
I’m very honored that you stopped by and took the time to read my post today. Thank you so much and in closing, I’ll share a thought by one of my favorite artists, Ted Degrazia.
Ted once said that his paintings were “always completed but never finished.” I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what he might have meant. I think perhaps it means that artists can work on a piece until whatever it is they have inside of them makes its way out onto the canvas. Once that happens, the piece is completed. Any artist can keep going and going, maybe feeling they could add a little more here or change a tiny detail there. But once you get what is in your heart and soul out of you and into the piece, that is truly where you can say “I’ve done this. I’ve completed this in a meaningful way that I can be happy with.” I think the other thing Ted is acknowledging in his quote is that art can be an endless expression if you let it. And so in that regard, any piece can truly be considered unfinished, even once it is completed. The reason his quote resonates with me is because of my personal art style. Most of what I do could appear to be unfinished. Maybe because of its simplicity. I like to leave blank space. That space is soothing to me. But, I can honestly say that with all of the things I have created, they have felt complete. I am happy with them. And I’m very happy to get to share them with you all.
Always love,
Carlene
CARLENE LOVE FLORES 
Very cool, I think I have that account set up. 👍
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
That’s good news! I hope you enjoy checking out Etsy. It’s a pretty neat place. Thank you!
Wow, you kept that a secret all this time! You probably know your Grandma Grace, and Aunt Kathy and Joe were/are all excellent drawers like you!
My heart is smiling. Thank you so much for sharing that … and I was not aware I was in such wonderful company. So much love.