Visit with artist Linda Hardy and Enter To Win A Piece Of Heart Art

Bejeweled Paper Flowers In A Vase by Linda Hardy

Hey there! How are you today?
Feeling Lucky?

I sure hope so since it is time to announce the latest Thursday Giveaway! A new prize has been generously donated by mixed media artist, Linda Hardy. I met Linda over at Etsy where she has her colorful shop, MamaPainter.etsy.com. Throughout this post you'll get a peek at some of the art in her shop. Click on any image for more information.


Curious about the new giveaway? You'll find out more about the fantastic prize at the end of this post.... but don't hurry. Take off your coat & stay a while! Linda has a few minutes to spare today, so she has kindly stopped by to share her thoughts on life and art. Why don't you relax & get to know each other a little bit while I find us some hot cocoa.

Valentine Heart With Wings In A Tree by Linda Hardy

LH: I am a self taught, mixed media artist. Creativity runs in the blood of my family. My father was a master woodcarver who specialized in water fowl, Cowboys and Santa figurines and my mother not only painted, but is a fabric artist. My sister makes jewelry, crochets, and knits and can sew absolutely anything. My oldest brother is a carpenter who built both of his homes with his own two hands and his daughter is in art school right now! I also have cousins that carve and do metal sculpture. My youngest daughter is a Fine Art major at Texas Tech, majoring in theatre and my oldest is teaching herself to crochet and sew in hopes of opening her own ETSY shop this year! With a family history that thick in art, it was only a matter of time before I found my niche too.

Flower Art Poppies set of 2 by Linda Hardy

LH: Growing up I wanted to go to the Art Inst. Of Chicago but was told that was a foolish dream and I should just learn how to type so I could support myself if I ever ended up divorced. And that is just what I did, until my health issued forced me out of the work force and onto disability. After many, many orthopedic surgeries I found myself depressed and left feeling my life was over by the age of 45.

Hope Cross by Linda Hardy

LH: After a few years of a major pity party, I decided I had to find something that I could do, after all I wasn’t dead and people with physical disabilities overcome challenges every single day. So I took what knowledge I had of home repairs and faux paintings and downsized it to canvas. I started by making Crosses and over the last 2 years have evolved into my own style of art. I’m not sure if it’s contemporary, rustic, sculpture or folk art! It’s a little bit of it all rolled up into a unique concept.

Birds and Hearts in a Tree, set of 2 by Linda Hardy

LH: So, never give up, dig down deep and see what you have inside of you. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Day Dreams by Linda Hardy

Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Linda! It is a pleasure to find out more about the person behind such vibrant artwork. You really are an example of how art heals. It may not take the body's aches away but it can soothe the spirit & make each day a little bit better. Keep up the wonderful work!

Want to read more about Linda & her spirited creations? Visit her online:

Shop - http://MamaPainter.etsy.com

FaceBook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mamapainter

How would you like to win
a piece of MamaPainter's Heart Art?

Just in time for Valentines Day, I'll be hosting a random drawing for one of Linda's lovely heart canvases. It will be similar to these:

Sculpted Hearts by Linda Hardy

The prize canvas is so fresh the paint is still wet - I'll post an image of the actual piece soon. Here is Linda's description of this great prize:

LH: HEART ART - Red Heart Dangling from a Tree. This sculpted piece of art is on a 5" x 7" x .75", stretched canvas frame. The tree wraps around from the side and is covered in aged, silver leaf. The red, puff heart is crackled and aged with a black glaze and is adorned with a silver bow! The canvas has been painted 3 colors of yellow with the finishing color more towards true ochre.

To enter the drawing, simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on Thursday 1/28. That's when 1 random winner will be selected. Just make sure you have your contact info in your blog profile or comment. Now how easy is that?! Please Note: this fantastic prize ships free to USA/Canada winner only.

You may have noticed the winner will be picked in 2 weeks. While I loved making a lucky winner very happy each week in 2009, I need to spend a little more time on my art. So, I'm testing out a new every-other-week format for both the Thursday Giveaways & Saturday Studio Tours. We'll see how it goes...

In the meantime, be sure to enter this giveaway!! Also, I'll be featuring Linda's studio on Feb 6th so pop back then & see where she makes her magic.

Heart Art Sculpted Heart on Red Textured Canvas by Lindy Hardy

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Final Note:

Have you heard of the etsy shop Hearts For Haiti? Hundreds of Etsy sellers are donating items. You shop. Your $ goes to Doctors without Borders....and you get Free Shipping (paid for by sellers). Click the link above to shop or you can read my blog post about it here