New Giveway & Artist Feature - Maureen Tillman

Hey there. How've you been?

Looking for the 2 winners of this morning's random drawing? If so, click here. Seeking the latest Artist Feature & info on the newest Thursday Giveaway prize? Then you've come to the right place.

Today we're visiting with artist, Maureen Tillman. I feel very fortunate to have met Maureen though Etsy where she sells her ACEOs, collages and other artwork - her shop is MaureenTillman.Etsy.com. We are also both members of the Melange Team on Etsy (a fantasic group of mixed media artists).

She is a creative spirit with a kind heart. Her art and writings are both colorful & thought provoking at the same time. Maureen is a very open person; she shares her thoughts, favorite poems & vintage finds on her blog Santuary, Dreams & Shadows . Now I'm going to step aside so she can tell you about herself & her art. By the way, you can click on any of the images for detailed info.

MT: Throughout my life people have told me that I live in my own little world. It is true. In my world there are three gardens where I spend my time making art - the Secret Garden, the Zen Garden, and the Fairy Garden.

Four Portals Original Collage by Maureen Tillman

MT: The Secret Garden - I have come to relish my explorations into the shadowy Secret Garden where deception, trickery, and betrayal cultivated for years were left hidden to become a wild tangled enigma of a garden. I entered timidly at first but learned to feign courage as I turned over stones and cut back thickets to reveal its mysteries.

Jewelry / Keepsake Box by Maureen Tillman

MT: Today I find my work in the garden of secrets quite fulfilling and empowering. It is a place where I can tell my stories and seek the truth. When others view my artwork from the Secret Garden they find themselves telling their own stories and discovering their own truths. Occasionally I get lost in that secluded place but eventually I make my way back to the sunlit path. I have spent so much time in that forsaken place that I have acquired an odd fascination and appreciation for the macabre beauty found there.

Exquisite Curves by Maureen Tillman

MT: The Zen Garden - Another garden I frequent is the Zen Garden. It is a simple peaceful place to retreat to for meditation, study and mindfulness practice. It is a quiet green place where one can breathe deeply, walk the labyrinth and learn to be truly awake and open. When I go there to paint I want to share the beauty with anyone who wants to venture in. My art from the Zen Garden is meant to be a meditation on mindfulness.

Tranquility by Maureen Tillman

MT: The Fairy Garden - My final garden, the Fairy Garden, has been a place of refuge, solace and joy my entire life. When I was a child, my sisters and I would gather around the kitchen table for a bedtime snack of graham crackers dipped in a saucer of milk. When we were finished the remainder of the milk with cracker crumbs in it would be set on the basement stairs for the fairies that evening.

Embellished Fairy Bottle- Pillywiggin's Elixyr by Maureen Tillman

MT: I learned early on that when the monster came out in our house, the enchanted Fairy Garden was a place of shelter. My artwork from the Fairy Garden is full of whimsy and joy and lessons learned about the world of make-believe and fairy tales.

Wings by Maureen Tillman

MT: My Work - I have been an artist all of my life, mostly freelancing in commercial and fine art in a wide variety of media for corporate and private clients. Currently my joy comes from my collage and mixed media/altered artwork focusing on the empowerment of women, abuse of women and children, and opening doors to anyone long closeted by denial and secrecy.

Decolletage by Maureen Tillman

MT: I create in a variety of materials and sizes. The collages are done with a base of acrylic paints on canvas or created directly on to stone tiles. I prefer working on a 12"x12" canvas or smaller. Occasionally I produce a 16"x20" or larger piece but they are rare. Each piece is original and one of a kind. For display purposes original canvases are ready to hang. The deep sides are painted so there is no need of framing. Small tile collages come with decorative wire display easels for presentation on tabletop or mantle. My images and ephemera come from numerous sources collected over a lifetime that are in the public domain and others invested in with rights of use.

Inchies Necklace - 8 interchangeable inchies & Box by Maureen Tillman

MT: My life as an artist and as a person changed dramatically over the last few years. I found myself stripped of so much that I knew and trusted about my life for the past four decades. All I cared to salvage from the ruin was my art. That would be my life now - that would be enough.

Altered Journal - Black Lace & Feather Boa by Maureen Tillman

MT: So I set about, a neophyte in an unfamiliar world, determined to find a place of my own...a life of my own. I had only two necessities - an inspiring view of the Mississippi River bluffs and ample space for an art studio, a sanctuary to restart my life and reclaim the beauty and creative spirit that had always stirred within my soul. I entered resolutely into my resurrected life as an artist, poet, and dreamer, approaching each new day as an adventure.

Dreamers Are Inveterate Explorers... by Maureen Tillman

Maureen, many thanks for sharing your thoughts and artwork with us today.

To see more of Maureen's art & jewelry, visit her online:

Etsy Shop: http://www.MaureenTillman.etsy.com

Blog: http://maureentillman.blogspot.com

Maureen has also invited us all on a photo-tour of her sanctuary/studio this weekend. Be sure to stop back in a couple of days to see where she creates her treasures.

Glass Tile Mosaic Box by Maureen Tillman

She is also generously sponsoring the new Thursday Giveaway. Maureen's fabulous prize is this bejeweled butterfly box. Here is her description:

Glass Tile Mosaic Box by Maureen Tillman

MT: This is a wooden box 6 inch square, 2 3/4" deep - outside under the beaded fringe is paper mosaic with tiny glass tile along base, beaded fringe hangs from green satin ribbon. Inside is mosaic in 1 inch glass tiles - 4 in square porcelain tile butterfly is painted with Pebeo porcelain glazes - there are also 6 Swarovski crystals highlighting the hand painted butterfly. Between the butterfly tile and the inner edge of the box there are aquamarine chips set in polymer medium.

Glass Tile Mosaic Box by Maureen Tillman

Wouldn't you like to win this colorful box? Well, you've got to enter first! Simple leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) next Thursday (12/10) and you're automatically entered in the random drawing. Please make sure your contact info is either in your profile or comment, in case you are the lucky winner. Also, please note: this random drawing is open to USA addresses only & this beautiful box ships free to the winner.

Thanks again for stopping by & pop back this weekend to visit Maureen's studio space.