ArtSnark's Artifacts: January 2010

1/31/10

Sunday Secrets

Do you like participating in online art challenges?

Some venues post the upcoming prompt ahead of schedule, so peek in the day before & get a head start.

Mixed Media Monday posts on Sunday - they even give a heads up on the following week in the margin. Click Here for a sneak peek but hurry back - I'll wait.........

Last week's prompt was Games People Play. I got a head start but had to set it aside till today. Still waiting for stains & glue to dry. Paper part is done though:

The fun vintage images are from quaddles vintage stock on DeviantArt & the sheet music is from Chrysti Hydeck's "Free For You" flickr stock. I've added misc watercolors, marker, colored pencil & ink.

By the way, have you tried these Cat's Eye fluid chalk ink pads? Got this tip from Nancy Lefko. She teaches some fantastic online classes over at Creative Workshops.

Do you ever visit The Altered Page? It's the blog of Mixed Media artist Seth Apter. There is always something wonderful to take in over there: striking photos, collaborative projects, and my favorite:

image borrowed from The Altered Page

Secret Sunday features artists' tips on all things creative. Click the above button to check out installment #11. This post is extra cool - it is an "Open House". All visitors are encouraged to leave an artsy secret in the comments section.

Check it out & find new uses for shoe polish, teabags & other unusual art supplies. Plus lots of tips for keeping The Muse happy too.

While you're there leave a secret of your own. I left a couple tips from my days in the restoration biz that I still use in art (& around the house) today.

But before you go, have you signed up for the newest random drawings?

On 2/11 one lucky winner takes home 5 Curious Hearts faux vintage papers from stton.etsy.com - Click Here For Details

On 2/15 hundreds of bloggers participating in the One World One Heart giveaway will be picking random winners. I'm giving away my Original Watercolor Climbing. Click Here for Details

1/29/10

A couple - o - interviews today

1st I want to apologize.

I feel the blog has been a little meh lately. Can you believe that Life has been interfering with not only art-time but blogging too?! Sheesh...... hopefully things will slow down in a couple of weeks so I can get my groove back. But enough of that.

Bit of a drive by tonight - running late on a prior commitment but I really want to pop in & share links to a couple of interviews.

Etsy's Blog, The Storque, has a great interview with Victoria founder of the Hearts For Haiti online store. (By the way HFH sent its 2nd payment to Doctors Without Borders - you can see it on their blog. Thanks to all who have donated & shopped. More items are still being added daily)

Also, if you'd like to read about the volunteers working behind the scenes to keep the Hearts For Haiti store going visit the blog & look for the links on the right side

January's Wish has one with photographer/jewelry designer Jude McConkey. And this one comes with a drawing you can enter!

Ancient Traveler by Steve Loya

Remember artist Steve Loya? (He stopped in a few weeks ago for an artist feature & studio tour) He's started posting interviews on his blog, Go Flying Turtle & Lucky Me! I got the 1st spotlight!

Thanks for stopping by! I wish everyone a fantastic weekend!

P.S. IllustrationFriday's prompt is Focused. Pop over & check out all the fun interpretations and add your own if you're feeling creative!

1/28/10

New Giveaway from stton & Hearts For Haiti

Welcome Back to another fine Thursday!

Today started with a random winner of Linda Hardy's Heart Art. To visit that post click here. Many thanks for the excellent turn out! It is your interest in these giveaways that keeps them coming.

Now On With The Show

By now you have probably heard about the Etsy shop Hearts For Haiti

Sellers are donating a variety of items. 100% of proceeds from sales (after Etsy & paypal fees are paid) goes to Doctors Without Borders. Hearts For Haiti opened 2 weeks ago today. As of last night they have made $20,479.16 dollars for DWB.

Please note this shop is run entirely by volunteers - I'd like to take a minute to thank them for everything they've done to set up and keep this fine shop running. Also thanks to all who have donated & shopped in this fantastic online store.

What does this have to do with the new prize?

While shopping at Hearts for Haiti, I purchased the cutest faux-vintage papers. Click Here to see the sold listing, which has item details. They were donated by Etsy Seller stton.

sston is another shop well worth checking out, by the way.
It is choc-ful of fun & affordable artsy supplies

I then contacted Teresa of sston to see if she would offer a couple of the papers for a Thursday Giveaway. She generously decided to donate a full set of 5 Curious Heart Paper Goods to be the newest prize!

5 Curious Heart Paper Goods from sston.etsy.com
For Sale at HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com

These papers are perfect for jazzing up bottles, journals, valentines cards and other fun stuff! Each measures approximately 4" x 5.5" (a bit more or less depending on which paper).

5 Curious Heart Paper Goods from sston.etsy.com
For Sale at HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com

Would you like to take home a set?

On 2/11 one lucky winner will win the random drawing. To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on Feb 11th. I'll announce the winner later that day. It is that easy! Contest is open worldwide with free shipping to winner.

5 Curious Heart Paper Goods from sston.etsy.com
For Sale at HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com

Can't wait that Long? Gotta have it now?

Pop on over to Hearts for Haiti & put into search 5 Curious Heart Paper Goods. If nothing comes up, that just means they need to relist. Simply click Contact Hearts for Haiti on the right side of their shop and ask them to relist for you. Paste this link into your request: http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=24276527

Once the volunteers at this great collaborative shop relist the papers, you can purchase. At $3 plus free shipping you can't beat the price! And remember after fees the $ you spend is donated to a worthy cause.

5 Curious Heart Paper Goods from sston.etsy.com
For Sale at HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com

Even if you are not interested in this giveaway

Please do what you can to support
Hearts For Haiti today.

If You Are A Shopper you may find that little something you have been looking for.

If you are an Etsy Seller & would like to donate items click here for instructions

If you are a Blogger please spread the word!

5 Curious Heart Paper Goods from sston.etsy.com
For Sale at HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com

We Have A Winner of MamaPainter's Heart Art!

Great turnout for this giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who visited this blog over the last 2 weeks. Each person who commented received 1 entry to this fantastic random drawing. With some help from random.org the lucky winner of Linda Hardy's Heart Art Canvas is .....

Made By Melissa!

Congratulations!
I will contact you today with directions for claiming your prize.

Many thanks to Linda Hardy of MamaPainter.etsy.com for sponsoring this great giveaway! If you missed the Thursday Artist Feature and would like know more about Linda & her art, click here.

And thank you to all who left your generous comments here over the last 2 week. Without you there'd be no reason to host these fun giveaways. I'll be posting a new prize later today, so please return when you get a chance.

If you are really into free stuff, also check out the One World One Heart Giveaway Event. Hundreds of bloggers have listed prizes which will be given away on 2/15. You can sign up for my OWOH giveaway here. To see the list of participating blogs, visit A Whimsical Bohemian & look over on the right side of the page.

1/27/10

Almost Wordless Wednesday - "I Am Slappy"

How a 6 yr old Floridian imagines snow

Translation: I Am Sleepy. My Back Hurts

Who knew being a snowman was so rough?

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By the way last chance to enter the random drawing for Linda Hardy's Heart Art. You have until 1 a.m. (EST) tomorrow to enter. Just leave a comment & you're in. Click Here for Details

I'm also participating in the One World One Heart Giveaway Event. On 2/15 I'll be giving away an original watercolor, Climbing, to 1 random winner. Hundreds of bloggers are participating in this fantastic event. Read more about it here.

1/25/10

Monday's Muse ( & Music) - One World One Heart

Welcome to the 3rd annual
One World One Heart giveaway event!

Started by A Whimsical Bohemian "to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet ", 911 bloggers participated in OWOH last year. How cool is that? I heard about this event from Marybeth over at Blogmania & knew right away that I wanted to play along. Do you want to play to??

Before we begin, it is also Musical Monday & this tune by Yusuf seems to fit today's theme.

What are you listening to today? Click MM button to visit Diane of GoodMourningGlory, the home base of Musical Monday. Leave your linky & share some tunes. Then check out what others have posted

Now, back to One World One Heart - Here's how it works:

Between now & February 15, bloggers worldwide will be flashing their ticket to Magic Carpet Ride. Whenever you see the top image on somebody's sidebar, they are playing along. Everyone showing a "ticket" is hosting a OWOH giveaway. All winners will be randomly selected on Feb. 15th.

How do you enter?

It's easy. Just leave a comment on someone's OHOW blogpost and you will be entered in that blog's random drawing. Be sure to leave some contact info if it isn't in your profile. Contest is open worldwide with free shipping.

What Am I Giving Away?

"You cannot learn to fly by flying. First you must learn to walk, and to run, and to climb, and to dance."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

1 lucky winner will receive this original watercolor piece, Climbing. It is a mix of drawing & painting and was originally created for IllustrationFriday.com. The corners of the paper have been cut out & lightly embossed for a Victorian filigree effect. Climbing measures 5" sq. and I'll toss in a custom cut acid free mat for the winner.

Only comments left on this post will qualify for my random drawing. Your comment must be left before 1 a.m. (EST) on 2/15.

So c'mon play along with us!

Looking for more OWOH 2010 blogs to comment on? Click here for a list of participants (found on the right margin of A Whimsical Bohemian's blog).

Want to post your own giveaway? Here are the directions to sign up.

That's it for today - hope you have a fantastic week!

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Added 2/28: I am also hosting separate giveaway for Etsy seller stton. That random drawing will occur on 2/11. Click Here For Details and photos of prize.

1/23/10

Studio Tour #19 - J. Elizabeth Johnson

Eyes of The Tiger ACEO by J.E.Johnson

Welcome! New studio tour today!

Victorian Rose ACEO by J.E. Johnson

This week we are off to Oklahoma to visit with the multi-talented artist J.Elizabeth Johnson. I originally met Elizabeth on Etsy where she has two different shops to accomodate her various styles.

WindandHoney.etsy.com houses a variety of colorful "mixed-media assemblage & collage art."

While JEJohnsonPortraits.etsy.com is where she sells her detailed animal portraits

Leopard Journal by J.E. Johnson

and custom pet drawings & paintings.

Custom Original Pet Portrait by J.E. Johnson

Elizabeth champions a number of worthy causes including Etsy Artists For Animals. She has also donated artwork to the Haitian relief shop, HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com. (More about this after the tour.)

Since she has kindly greed to show us around her creative space, lets not keep her waiting:

JEJ: Welcome to my studio. Over the years we have lived in several houses and my studio space has varied. In one house the only space available was one large kitchen drawer. Most often it has been a corner of our dining room. So now I am truly enjoying this studio. I have a good sized second story room that has two walls of windows with lots of great light and two closets for storage.

JEJ: The drafting table is where I do graphite and colored pencil portraits. I have used an antique iron headboard to display images that serve either as inspiration or as reminders.

JEJ: You can see into my largest closet. It is filled with storage drawers containing all kinds of found treasures just waiting for their artistic home to be created.

JEJ: There is also a bed in the closet window for the cats. Yes, there's a window in the closet. Funny what you find in old houses.

JEJ: My worktable is the birthing place for my mixed media collage work. The smallest case in the middle on top of the table is my inspiration box. I fill it with seasonal items or with pieces that might work in a project I'm doing. It helps to develop a creative atmosphere and also keep those items close at hand..

JEJ: The antique record cabinet in the corner is the perfect size to hold completed drawings of 11" x 14" or smaller. I rarely use larger paper so it works great for me. The chair back mounted on the wall was a found treasure. I'm still waiting for an inspiration for what to do with it. Any ideas?

JEJ: My parents bought this rocking chair when I was a baby. It has been my favorite chair my whole life. I spent moody moments in it as a teenager. Later I rocked my babies in it and I rocked my lion in it. And now most of the time when I am online, I am in this chair.

Click Here to read the story behind this photo

JEJ: Along with my online business and doing commissioned works, I also teach art classes to children and adults. My newest adventure in teaching will begin this Spring. I will be offering online art classes through my website Wind and Honey Creations .

JEJ: Also this Spring I will be offering an Online Art Retreat. I'm still working the details out for this project. It will be a group project like going away to a weekend retreat but you can do it in your jammies and your favorite chair. It promises to be a lot of fun.

Elizabeth, sounds like a blast! I look forward to seeing what you come up with next. Thanks so much for taking us through your studio today!

Want to see more of Elizabeth's world & art?

She's donated these 2 pieces to the Hearts for Haiti shop

Dare To Be Free Glicee Print by J.E. Johnson

where all proceeds will go to Doctors without Borders.

Wild Lion Fine Art Print by J.E. Johnson

Plus she will pay for shipping to the buyer.

Here are some other places you can find this busy & talented artist online:

Website: http://www.windandhoneycreations.com

Etsy Shop #1: http://windandhoney.etsy.com

Etsy Shop #2: http://JEJohnsonPortraits.etsy.com

1K Markets shop: http://windandhoney.1000markets.com

Blog: http://windandhoney.blogspot.com

Did you enjoy this studio tour? Please leave a comment to let us know. (By the way, all who comment are entered into a random drawing on 1/28. For contest and prize details, click here.)
Also, please tune in on Feb 6th for the next studio tour. Hope to see you there!

1/22/10

WooHoo! I'm on HandMadeNews.org this week!

Been over to HandmadeNews.org recently?

I had the good fortune to be picked as one of their Featured Bloggers this week. Yes, a new spot for more of my ramblings - I even chatter about my Broadway Debut. If you have a few minutes please check out my interview. If you're feeling really generous, a thumbs up would be fantastic (find thumbs at the bottom of the piece).

If you are unfamiliar with this great site, take a look around. There are lots of articles on all kinds of creative stuff, from inspiration to techniques & everything in between. Just the other day I wanted to learn the secret to drilling a hole in a piece of sea glass. Guess where I went for the answer.....

Oh oh, now I'm giving away all my secrets (wink, wink)

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Oh boy! HandmadeCharlotte, who is the other Featured Blogger on HandmadeNews this week, just pointed out that our features were recommended reading on OnePrettyThing 's Crafty Reading Roundup yesterday! If you get a chance please check out her blog. It is simply wonderful - with sweet clean design and fantastic picks! Here is a link to her feature too. Now I'm off to read some of the OPT's other intriguing suggestions...

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But 1st:

Have you entered Thursday's giveaway, yet? Leave a comment here before 1 am on 1/28. One lucky winner will take home a fun piece of HeartArt from mixed media artist, Linda Hardy. CLICK HERE for details and an interview with Linda.

By the way, HeartsForHaiti is going strong! As of yesterday they've made over $10,000 in less than 7 days for DoctorsWithoutBorders. If you have yet to donate items or do some shopping please click thru and check out this fabulous shop. After Etsy & Paypal fees are deducted, 100% of your $ is donated to DWB. Hundreds of Etsy sellers continue to give a variety of items AND sellers are paying the shipping costs to you. How cool is that!

1/21/10

A Tale Of Two Candlesticks

"What did you make of it, Tom?"
"Nothing at all, Joe."
"That's a coincidence, too, for I made the same of it myself."

- from A Tale Of Two Cities by C.Dickens

Once Upon A Time

There were 2 hammered copper candlesticks

Their first companion was a door to door salesman.

Sometime in the 1960s they tired of traveling and settled down in a cozy house in the peaceful town of Westford Mass. Originally these holders propped up a pair of copper faux candles. The candles had a hollow center & propane was used to light them. For many years they were useful and happy together.

Then one day they were no longer lit
but instead were packed away and forgotten.

Time passed.... Then finally something happened.

These candlesticks saw the sun for the first time in over 30 years! They awoke to find themselves surrounded by some sort of market festival. Sadly, on this same day they were separated from their candles forever. The candles found a new home & the candlesticks returned to the dark.

While resting they traveled 1300 miles. One day they were taken out of their box, photographed & returned to storage. Little did they know that things were about to change forever.....

They were put up for sale on Etsy.com. Then Natalie Jo of Piccalilli Patchwork stumbled upon their photo and decided to take them home......

...... to Westford, Mass.

So, after 40 years and another 1300 miles, those candlesticks returned to their hometown. But their adventure was not over yet....

Natalie Jo loves to sew and she had a commission to fill

so those candlesticks now have a new wardrobe

And a new home in the front window of Candlelite Quilts

In Chelmsford, Mass -
only 8 miles from where this story started.

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By the way, have you entered the 1/28 random drawing for a piece of Heart Art by mixed media artist Linda Hardy? Just leave a comment before 1 a.m. (EST) next Thursday & you're entered. For prize and contest details, plus an interview with Linda CLICK HERE

1/20/10

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Wrapped Statue - Polaroid Transfer on Marble Tile

Adapted from original photo of The Nile from Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers. Click the link for more info about this Roman fountain located in the Piazza Navona.

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A couple of notes:

1st Have you visited HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com? Etsy sellers are donating items & paying for shipping. The $ you spend goes to DoctorsWithoutBorders. Click the link for details.

2nd Have you entered the 1/28 random drawing yet? Prize is Heart Art from Linda Hardy. Click Here for prize details & artist feature.