10/31/08

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

One need not be a chamber to be haunted; One need not be a house; The brain has corridors surpassing Material place. - Emily Dickinson

10/26/08

Sinner & Saint PIF giveaways

Legion

Cleaning up a bit today & unearthed this weird mixed media painting on papyrus from 2002. I was going to just toss it out when I thought why not post it as a Halloween PIF in my Etsy shop, ArtSnark.Etsy.com This is a true PIF. Completely free . I just ask that you "pay it forward" by some random act of kindness. There are a number sellers with PIF listings on Etsy, just type "PIF" into the item search box. Be aware though that not all are not truly free - some people list absurd shipping charges so look closely before "buying". There is some cool stuff up there. I just picked up a tutorial on wrapping beads.

Jumping ahead to December: Fellow ZNE member, Ewian, has a great giveaway to celebrate St.Lucia's day, Dec. 13. Basically you go to a blog & leave a nice comment. Then add the link to the post on her blog. She will draw the winner in November. You can the details here . This is such a cool way to spread your happy thoughts & favorite blogs! Check it out if you get a chance

10/23/08

Red's Walk

Finally back to the drawing board. It seems like I haven't done anything creative in a very long while. I've a series of finished pieces in my head. Now it is time to finally get them down. Mind, they tend to take on a life of their own.

Like a child in the woods, they sometimes get distracted and wander off the path.....

Here is one in progress. The text is from an 1834 copy of Little Red Riding Hood. It will be interesting to see where she leads ......

10/22/08

Inspired by Unusual Mediums, Fab Artists & Eye-catching Colors!

Thrilled to have a piece in LDphotography's Red & Black Attack Etsy Treasury (& happy to have figured out how to take a screen shot). "So Long" is the middle piece, 3rd row down. The treasury is up for a wee bit longer, if you get a chance to poke around. LD curates some eye-catching treasuries, so it really means a lot to me to be in one.

If anyone reading this is not familiar with Etsy, please take some time to check it out. You'll be amazed by the massive quantity & variety of art and artists there. Just in time for the holidays too!

In fact I've already started my Christmas shopping (Spoiler here,Mom - plug your ears:Lalalala) at LDPhotography on etsy. I know, I sound like a freakin' commercial. Can't help it though. I've been following Linda Donnelly's art for a little while, first on ZNE & then on Etsy. Initially I was drawn to her photography and photo-pendants. Tonight I found out she makes her own jewelry too ( Althena12 Jewelry ). This multi-talented artist also creates some wonderful ACEOs, at times using really unusual mediums. One of her dried clay art cards was recently published in Art Trader Magazine(issue#4).

Speaking of unusual mediums.....I am totally addicted to one from D'Uva. It comes in powder, stick & paint forms (Lithocoal is the black & Chromacoal for color). It can be applied to any item that can be heated to 250 degrees. At that temp it sets permanently & needs no protective finish. Until you set it, it is fully erasable. Imagine working on a watercolor painting that you can erase - No more brown yucky smoodge!
So Long is drawn & painted in Litho & Chromacoal on canvas

I am crazy in love with this product! It was my "gateway drug" from drawing to painting. Sadly, D'Uva seems to have stopped production. You can still find the goods on the web though (often discounted). Luckily, I bought a ton when my local art store purged it, so I'm set for a while.For kicks, here is another piece I did with a mix of Chromacoal & acrylic a few years ago. Funny thing, sold this big canvas (3' sq.) right off my living room wall as soon as I hung it. Oh, if sales could always be so easy....


If you made it this far, thanks for your patience. I'm still trying to get the hang of this & I do tend to ramble.... Also many thanks to all of you who stopped by & commented. As I suspected, great minds really do think alike! Isn't it wonderful how shared inspirations can lead to so many different interpretations ?

10/21/08

An Arousal of the Mind...

I was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of definitions for Inspiration. My favorite is found on WordNet: "arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity".

Lately it seems everything inspires & new ideas present themselves faster than I can get them down. Perhaps that is part of why I'm scribbling here today. Hopefully my lack of an audience won't prove too embarrassing...

I'm going to start this blog with a question for anybody out there: What inspires you??? Please share, you may be surprised by just how many great minds think alike

I'd like to give special thanks here to Annette from Nut and Bee, whose awesome octopus stamp inspired my title image. If you get a chance. check her site out. Her unique art is full of wonder & whimsy! You can also find her items on Etsy at NutandBee